Ni: If Only You Knew
by Kingdom-Keys16
Summary: A mother's last wish forces Cloud Strife to transfer to a new school. There, he meets new friends, unexpected rivals and the one girl who could change everything for him...but first, an unclear decision is left hanging: Is he good enough for her? CLOTI: slow fluff
1. Last Wish

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own these characters, though I wish I did.

If Only You Knew

Chapter One: Last Wish

"_Here Cloud, come on. Open the letter..."_ _His mother encouraged, her eyes bright with unshed tears. Handing over the envelope with her trembling hands, she hoped with all her heart that this letter would open the door of opportunity for her son. Cloud stared down at the pale envelope as he took it in his hands and looked back up to his mother as he proceeded with peeling open the back flap. His eyes widened as he saw the elegant writing on the ivory page unfolded in his hands. As his eyes quickly scanned through the much anticipated letter, he feels a sense of depression come over him, his senses seeming to dull. His mother saw the expression on his face and assumed the worst. "…You…didn't get it…?" She asks in an anxious voice, almost hesitantly as she felt the answer would only disappoint her weary heart. "After you've worked so hard to get that scholarship…" Eyes downcast, she starts to turn away from her silent son with a shake of her head. Her face looked so let down but he hadn't even told her yet…_

"_I've been accepted." The words slipped past his lips as disbelief coloured his voice. His mother's eyes looked back towards him with surprise and a sudden smile appeared on her face. _

"_You got the scholarship?" The question hardly necessary as she hastily embraces him in her arms, squeezing tightly as joy radiates from her soul. "Good God…thank you…" She mutters as Cloud struggles against her warm hold. He felt strangely uncomfortable at that moment, the news about his newly acquired scholarship stunning him deeper than he would've thought. He would have to attend a new school with new faces and teachers. A wealthy school that would shun him for being of middle-class birth. Already the idea of transferring daunted him. But wait…his mom was still talking… 'I've dreamed of this day…" She says, though pulling away a bit as she slightly cocks her head in thought. "Hmm…well, I've also dreamed about the day when you finally get a girlfriend too…but anyways," She grins at her son who was currently running a nervous hand through his ashen blonde at her words. "You're finally going to have more than I could ever give you…" The tears were now freely running down her cheeks. Cloud freezes and stares at her in amazement, his mouth gaping open like a fish. _

"_What? What do you mean by that Mom?" He asks in bewilderment, her words striking him as odd. She wipes the tears from her eyes with a curled fist and replies in a cracked voice, _

"_Well, ever since your father passed away… You know that we've been short on money and I want you to experience the better things in life than what we've had here." She waves her hand around their own small abode in a suggestive way. He arches an eyebrow at her and then shakes his head._

"_That doesn't matter to me, I do-" _

"_No, Cloud. It does matter, to me at least. I want you to succeed in this world. I want you to be happy. " _

* * *

'_That's all she wanted…_' The thought passes through his mind as azure eyes met gold gates that seemed to sparkle under the sun's light. He was already in awe of his surroundings as the car continues to drive up the paved road. Cloud tore away his eyes away from the window and instead focused on the single piece of paper in his hands. The words of which explained who he was, why he was here and all the usual junk that top-priority schools cared for. Resisting the urge to crumple the worthless piece of paper in his hands, his eyes wandered back to the scenery which was flashing by his eyes outside. _'I wish I didn't have to come here. I wish I didn't have to leave my friends. I wish I didn't get that stupid scholarship. I wish, I wish…'_

"Hey kid!"

Cloud jolted in his seat, startled by the sudden voice that came from the front of the car. Phew, it was only the driver. "Yeah..?"

"What's your name?"

He rolled his eyes at the obvious question and replied, "Cloud." The driver gave him a funny look in the mirror and snorted loudly.

"You got a last name too or what?"

Sighing in exasperation at the driver's inquiry, Cloud just shakes his head. "It's Strife. My name's Cloud Strife. Happy?" The driver chuckled his assent as they slowly started to pull up in the large lot at the side of the front entrance of the academy.

"Here's your stop, Mr. **_Strife_**." The driver emphasized his last name and chuckled again, apparently at a joke that Cloud himself had missed.

'_Whatever…'_ He thinks, getting out of the car and stretching his arms high above him. It had been a long ride here from his house or rather, his old house as he was currently now going to stay at the academy's dorms. He scoffed at the thought as a trickle of sadness ran through his veins. With a more darkened expression now, he moves to the back to open the trunk and get out the few bags he had where he had just randomly stuffed his belongings. Muscles flexed as he pulls his bags out to the side of him just as the car starts to drive away. He stares after it as it makes its way back outside the gates and returns his view back to the entrance. There were neatly-trimmed rose bushes and tulips in miniature gardens. The stairs looked like they were polished every five to ten minutes and the floor seemed to be made out of marble, which most likely it was. He couldn't believe it; this was going to be the place where he was going to spend 3 years of his life in. "Something to look forward to I guess…" He drawls in a sarcastic tone, looking the immense building up and down as he scrutinized its features.

Gloom overcame him though as he continued to look at the building. _'This is what I've worked for…This is what I've studied for. This is what **she** would've wanted if she were still alive.' _For it wasn't of his own will had he wanted to come here, it was his mother's last wish. And what about his own wishes? He wished that she were still alive to see him go through with this.

**A**/**N**: End of Chapter 1! Mostly about his mother and for those who haven't figured it out yet, she died right before the new school year started so that's why she's not there. Yes, very sad I know. More to come! Oh yeah, and because I couldn't fit everything into the summary, I'll just list the pairings up: Tifa x Cloud x Aeris, Aeris x Zack , Yuffie x Vincent and the others from Shinra.


	2. A Race for Life

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own these characters, though I wish I did.

If Only You Knew

Chapter Two: A Race for Life

He didn't have time to reminisce about what had happened. She'd had a heart attack. End of story. But this was only the beginning for him as he gathered his bags and trudged unwillingly to the door. There were two doormen there, _coincidentally_ more well-dressed then he and **_he_** was a student! They were wearing classy, pressed red jackets with golden lining and the school insignia which was a silver sword with folded wings on the left side flap. Black pants, immaculate shoes, slick-backed hair… What about him? He glances down at himself and sighs. His apparel was less "sophisticated" than theirs. He had just thrown on anything that he hadn't packed before leaving to come here. He had on black jeans, a white shirt and his favorite worn leather jacket. "Damn!" Cloud utters the curse under his breath as he runs an involuntary hand through his own spiky hair. The doormen looked over in his direction, taking in the bags and his unruly complexion. They turned away from and started to whisper. Cloud was able to catch fragments of their short-lived conversation.

"Poor…idiot…hair…clothes… so sad." And then they started to laugh loudly as Cloud finally reaches the final step of the stair. He gritted his teeth in their direction but proceeded to move forward. The doormen stopped laughing and quickly put on somber faces as they stepped in front of him, blocking him from going through the twin door entrance. "What is your purpose here?" The doorman on the right asks with a sneer on his lips and a disapproving lilt in his voice. Cloud narrowed his eyes at him and held up the paper that granted him the right to be there.

"I'm a student here." He states, letting the two look their fill of his scholarship paper. Restraining the urge to laugh at their faces of disbelief, he glances down at his watch and swears. If these two idiots didn't let him through, he'd be late for the appointment with the dean. "Let me pass already will you?" He withdraws the paper back into his jean pocket. "I'm going to be late."

The two dumbfounded doormen glanced at each other and nodded their heads in sync. "We don't believe you. You could've just forged that paper or even stolen it from someone else." Cloud gaped at them and their accusations. They obviously wouldn't have believed him if he had brought the President of the United States with him, let alone a slightly crumpled paper.

"Give me a break…" He slapped a hand to his forehead in frustration and slowly drew it down back to his side. "Really guys. Just let me through ok…" He saw the second consideration of his words and then they shook their heads yet again in denial. Standing there with a set of bags in his hands, Cloud felt like an idiot himself for having such a ridiculous conversation with doormen no less! His sharp senses picked up a presence behind him and he reluctantly looked around to see a dark-haired figure walking up the stairs towards him. Cloud suddenly felt a familiar connection with this person but the question was why? The doormen had backed away from the stairs and were now in their respective position right by the doors, waiting to open them when he had cast a glance back in their direction. This reaction from them made him even more curious about this new person who was approaching closer. Was he **_that_** intimidating?

"Hey." A single word was all that person needed to look up and connect eyes with Cloud. He gasped, his breath caught in his throat. _'No…It can't be, can it?'_

"Cloud?" The other said in an incredulous voice as he steps up so that they were at eye level.

"Vincent?"

Cloud's voice came out cracked as he too stared in skepticism. "Is that you?" It looked like him, he couldn't deny it. His hair was still long, past shoulder-length and his face was the same as his childhood friend's, if only a little bit paler though that may have been due to the circumstances under which they were reunited again. On the steps of a world renowned school. How original…

The older version of Vincent nodded, returning back to a silent state. He was studying Cloud as well with narrowed eyes, making sure that this really was his old friend. He was taller of course, though Vincent himself was still a few inches taller than him as always. His choice of clothing was also very similar to before, picking comfort over style. But it fitted his image and gave him an almost self-assurance about himself.

"God, I haven't seen you for so long Vin." Cloud exclaims, reverting back to his nickname. He was glad that he wasn't alone here anymore among the rich, stuck-up kids. Vincent winced under the use of his old nickname, now remembering how Cloud used to annoy him with it.

"Uh, yeah. It's good to see you too Cloud." He replies, straightening as he looks over to the doormen who were silently taking in their conversation with each other. He looks back to Cloud and a ghost of a smile appears on his face. "How about we go in ok? We'll have more _privacy_ to catch up on our missed years." He nods his head slightly in the direction of the others and Cloud quickly picks up his meaning and openly grins, feeling like they were already bonding again with each other.

"Yeah." He picked up his bags again which caught the attention of Vincent who had already decided to ask questions later on.

"Reno, Rude. Open the doors already will you?" Vincent asks though it seemed more like a command as they quickly got to work and pulled open the door. Cloud resisted the urge to laugh again as he walked past him, following Vincent who had already strode through. But it disturbed him as well that Vincent, with his quiet ways, had had his request obeyed immediately. He shook the thought out of his mind as they entered inside, its beauty already making him feel sick to his stomach. '_Why did I have to come here?'_ He thinks, not for the first time as he looks around. Another factor that Cloud had forgotten to count on was the time of day. Right now, the hall was crowded with thousands of students from all over the country.

"Of course…" He groans, hanging his head down in trepidation. "It's lunch. Oh great, that's even better. Introductions." He added the last part as he looks up ahead at Vincent who was stuck in the middle of a pretty large crowd. And the best part was that Vincent was waving over to Cloud who also drew the attention of the crowd. Cloud could've just died at that moment with everyone staring at him and he thought he almost would've if a rough hand grabbed onto his arm and pulled him through the crowd. Cloud gripped tightly onto his bag handles, thinking it wouldn't be good if he lost his belongings right now which would probably only make things worse. All he could see of the person who was now dragging him through the flailing crowd was more black hair and a dark uniform. Finally, he saw a breaking in the crowd that the person was heading for and they finally broke through. But they continued to run, despite his intentions of stopping once they had broken through.

'_Where the hell am I going!?!?!?' _The thought occurs to him as his hand carrying the bags starts to hurt and the grip around his other wrist was starting to burn. "Hey, let go of me!" He demands, wrestling his hand out of the other man's grip.

"Man, I'm trying to save you okay? No newbie deserves to get caught by **_them_**!" was other's hasty reply.

They turn another corner and another and another and then Cloud eventually realizes that there was another set of panting aside from his own beside him. He looked over the side of him to see Vincent running alongside him, every now and then looking back with almost fearful eyes. His eyes widened at this. Vincent was hardly ever scared by anything so what was following them that scared him so?

"Vincent!!!!!!! Zack!!!!!!! Come back!!!!!!" Loud voices start to call from behind them.

'_Wait, I guess that means that guy's name is Zack? But…isn't this supposed to be…'_ Cloud thinks, confused at the feminine tone to those beckoning voices. "Isn't this…this is supposed to be an all-boys collegiate?!" Shouting the last part, his eyes connect with Vincent's and they both look behind them with anxious eyes. What Cloud saw was an entire band of girls chasing after Vincent and Zack, and now him he realized, just because of association. "Oh God…" He groans, trying to run faster now that he knew what would happen if he got caught.

"Ha ha…that's funny. God has nothing to do with this, Newbie." Zack chuckles darkly, slowing down by a fraction of an inch to be level with Cloud. "Hey, name's Zack Fair. How's it going?" Zack paused and then started to laugh again, this time apparently at Cloud's expression on his face right now.

"Zack…" Vincent's voice says now as evenly as he could without losing his breath. "I don't think this is the right time to strike up a conversation right now…" Zack looks over to him and grins, giving a sharp jut of his head.

"You better hurry up guys, they're gaining on you."

Cloud stares at him and then says, "What do you mean by us?!!? It's also…you…?" But Zack wasn't there anymore when Cloud had just closed his eyes for a few seconds. "What the f-?!?! Where is he?!?" Turning his attention to Vincent, he glances back at the crowd and increases his speed. Vincent gave a small smile and increased his speed as well, getting ahead of Cloud who was laden with his bags. He pointed up ahead to a shadowy figure already turning the corner and signals that they take a sharp turn right. "Oh yay…more corners…" Cloud tiredly exclaims to himself as he prepares for the turn. What a great first day for him! And he wasn't even in class yet!

"Turn!" Vincent's hushed whisper reaches Cloud's own sharp ears as they abruptly veer to the right. Cloud swears aloud as he sees the dead-end up ahead.

"What the hell are we supposed to do now!?!!!!" He yells again, his nerves getting fried with frustration and anger at his old friend for getting him into this. Vincent smiled again; this was the most fun he'd had all summer.

"Don't worry. There's an abandoned classroom at the end. All we have to do is sneak in through there and then we'll be safe…" Cloud didn't give a reply, now too focused on reaching the room before being trampled to death by those girls. They reached the end and Vincent grabbed onto the door handle. It wouldn't budge… Vincent's eyes widen this time at this predicament. "What the..!! Zack!! You moron! Open the door already!!!" He bangs on the door with clenched fists as the chant of his name and Zack's starts to turn the corner. _'They're coming…'_

"We're not going to make it!" Cloud shouts, starting to get overdramatic about the whole ordeal. He backs up and then tries to ram the door but all he meets is cold, hard wood. His shoulder begins to ache as well from the force of his smashes into the door. "Shit…"

Vincent was still trying to call Zack to open the door. "Zack! Goddamnit!!" He kicks the door hard with his foot.

"Vinnie!!!! Zackie!!!! Wait!!!!!!" The crowd was almost upon them like a herd of rampaging rhinos, the echoes of their footsteps in the long corridors. Cloud raises his eyebrow for a second at their weird sounding nicknames and decided to ram his shoulder into the door one last time.

'_Here it goes!'_ He grunts a little as he runs at full speed into the door but suddenly the door flies wide open with Zack standing right in the middle. _'Oh give me a-!'_ Cloud couldn't deter from the collision course as Zack tries to move out of the way but not in time. Cloud crashes into him and then suddenly everything goes black.

**A/N: **Well, this chapter's longer than the first so I'm happy!! How is it so far? Please review! Oh, and just to let you know, the three main girls are going to appear in the next chapter!


	3. Hi, Who are you?

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own these characters, though I wish I did.

If Only You Knew

Chapter Three: Hi!...Who are you?

Everything hurts. His head, his shoulder, even his wrist feels like it's bent out of shape. No, wait…he moved it a little but then realized he couldn't move it around that much at all! Something was restricting his arm! His eyes snapped open and he looked over to his side, finding his arm bound in a sling. Cloud moved again and gritted his teeth together. It wasn't his wrist, he realized as a jolt of pain temporarily stuns him. It was his arm that felt like there were hundreds of 5-inch needles sticking into his skin. "Aww shit …"

"Excuse me Mr. Strife? What did you say?" A woman's voice sounds from behind a white curtain. Cloud scrambled to sit up but as soon as he exerts just the tiniest bit of pressure on his left arm, he quickly collapses and nearly falls off the edge of the bed. "Sh….i…" He stops himself from continuing with his swearing streak. He closed his eyes tightly as he pulled himself away from the bed's edge and sets himself straight. Sitting up properly, he decides to answer the person back.

"Uhh. Yeah. I didn't say anything." It was his only answer as he casts a glance at the white curtain. Where was he anyways? All he could remember was…. "Argh! Zack! Why didn't he open the door faster? Then I wouldn't be here with this stuff around my arm!"

"It's called a cast Mr. Strife." Cloud looks up, his eyes widening at the woman beside his bed who was holding a chart in her hands. She had on a pair of thin wire glasses and had long brown hair that was tied up high above her head. Her lab coat was loosely hanging around her thin figure but by he could tell by the look in her eyes that she was a person of authority.

"I know. It's just that," Cloud pauses momentarily as he looks back down at the cast which was now supporting his left arm. "My name is-"

"Cloud Strife, as so I've said for the past few minutes." She replies smartly though not seeming to make an attempt to make fun of him. "You're the new student who's received this year's scholarship right? Transferred from…hmmm, a secondary school in that place…I'm sorry, I've seemed to have forgotten the name." She apologized, bowing her head slightly in his direction though what for he could not grasp. And when does a teacher apologize to her student? He'd never heard of anything like that before. Yet another reason added up to his list of why he shouldn't have come here. This school with all its staff and students were just too weird for him. He wanted to go back to his old life, to live like a normal person but it seemed like that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"Yeah, I'm the new transfer student. But I'd just like to ask; what happened to my arm um…Ms…? Mrs…?" It made him feel stupid that she seemed to know all about him already but he didn't even know her name.

"Shera. Just call me Ms. Shera." She smiled gently at him, accepting his confused state and looked back down the chart in her hands. "Well Cloud, it seems to me that you have a sprained arm. You're pretty lucky actually." She glanced over at him and laughed softly at the doubtful look on his face. "Yes, you are pretty lucky considering the collision both you and Mr. Fair suffered from."

"Wait, did Zack get hurt?"

'_Oh no…someone tries to help me and they get repaid with a broken leg, internal bleeding…oh God…'_ He was starting to feel guilty again. Just as he had and still feel guilty about his mother's death. It was all his fault wasn't it? As always, it was. There was no doubt about it. Cloud continues to think up worst case scenarios, eventually working up to the point where Zack has died and his ghost has sworn to haunt him for the rest of his frickin'-!

"Cloud? Are you listening to me?" He hesitated before answering, seeing the slightly annoyed look in her eyes. He shook his head. Honesty would work for him right? Shera sighs at his answer and starts to repeat herself again, "As I was just saying, Zack has only suffered a small cut above his brow and a mild concussion so there's nothing to worry about. Anyways, he and Vincent were the ones who carried you here over to the infirmary. Ha ha, they were complaining about how heavy you were when you first arrived." Shera raised a slender hand to her mouth as she laughed at the recent memory. "Oh yes, and don't worry about your sprain as well. It'll heal in about a couple of weeks and the cast will be off."

"Does that mean I can leave now then?" Cloud inquires as he swings his legs over the bed and starts to stand up. His balance was slightly altered due to the added weight of the cast but he regained it quickly.

"Well then thanks Ms. Shera." He walks past her and moves the curtain out of his way, tired of seeing white. His eyes were greeted by even more white curtains which nearly made him groan aloud. It almost seemed that this place was just like a hospital with Shera, obviously the person in charge. But the notion of someone being in charge somehow made him seem like he was forgetting something, something important but he couldn't remember exactly what.

He turns back to Shera who was analyzing his walking abilities and asked, "Uhh, before I ask 'where's the exit?' I'd just like to know whether I got knocked in the head as well."

Shera shook her head at him and replied, "Not that I know of. Why do you ask?"

"Because I seem to be forgetting something and I know that it's important."

"Well, maybe you have short-term memory then. It could be possible." A twinkle entered into her eyes as winks at him before turning away to walk off.

"Wait! Ms. Shera! You still haven't told me-" Cloud starts but is cut off by the fluid motion of her arm pointing to a brightly lit hallway which was right ahead of him.

"Oh. Well, thanks again..? What? She's gone?" He had tried to thank her again but just like that, she was gone. Cloud shrugged and headed into the hallway where he found Vincent and Zack sitting in a couple of chairs against the wall. He could immediately notice the neat though few stitches above Zack's brow and felt a twinge of remorse. But Zack didn't seem to be daunted by it. Instead, he seemed to be showing it off to Vincent and anyone who passed by like it was some kind of battle wound. Cloud couldn't help but roll his eyes at the sight as he approached them glumly.

Zack heard the footsteps first and looked up, a smirk spreading across his face as he recognizes Cloud.

"Hey Cloud! Man, that was some hit eh? You can really take it out on a fella."

Cloud blinked at Zack's fast pace of words and tried to make the best sense out of them as he could. "Uh yeah…about that. Zack, I'm sorry for-"

Zack could see where this was going and decided to interrupt him. "Aw, don't worry about it. It's okay. I just got a scratch that's all. The ladies love a man who lives on the dangerous side of life, am I right Vinnie?"

A glint of disapproval entered Vincent's eyes as he considered his friend's careless words. "Yeah whatever. Do what you want _Zackie…'_

Zack cringed at the reference and started to harass Vincent about his other nickname as well. They started to argue about which nicknames was the worse, Zack drawing out Vincent who was already becoming frustrated. Meanwhile, Cloud was still trying to think about what he was supposed to be doing right now. _'What was I supposed to do? Damnit! I can't remember for the life of me…maybe Shera's right. Maybe I do have short-term memory loss" _But then he finally recalls something though not sure if it was exactly that important.

"Where did my bags go? I remember dropping them…Did **_they_** take them??" Referring to the crowd of fangirls who had been chasing them just now.

Zack winks at him and smirks mischievously as he gives an off-hand wave. "Oh, it's okay. We got your bags sent to our dorm so you can pick it up later on. No need to give those girls souvenirs from chasing you."

Cloud couldn't help but sigh at Zack's weak attempt at a joke. "Is that supposed to be funny?" The blue-eyed blonde replies, rolling his eyes suggestively. Zack shrugs and turns away, his eyes catching a girl who was passing by the infirmary exit. He waves his hand at her and she blushes, quickly walking by.

"You're such a playboy Zack. It's no wonder she never stayed with you." Vincent suddenly speaks up, noticing the exchange. Cloud understood what he was talking about but who was this "she"? He was just about to bring the subject up but was cut off by Vincent's next words.

"So how do you like Ms. Shera?"

"Neh?" He looks over to Vincent with surprised eyes. Vincent himself was finally starting relax again after winning the verbal battle. "Shera? She's ok. Why?"

The black-haired boy shrugged and then stood up. "No reason, but just to let you know, she's going out with the dean. So, obviously she's off-limits…"

He looked at his friend with bewildered eyes…the gears in his mind turning as he processed the information. "Oh no. The dean!?!?" Panic rose up in his chest as he finally remembers what he had to do.

Vincent, noting Cloud's distress, raised an eyebrow at him curiously. "What's up with you and the dean?"

"Ahhh! I'm screwed! Vincent, where's the dean?!?! Where's his office?! I'm going to be late!" He pauses to check his watch and his face visibly grows paler. "Ahh! I **_am_** late!"

"Wait, wait! Newbie! Calm down already will ya? What's up?" Zack steps forward, evidently enjoying calling Cloud "Newbie".

"I'm supposed to meet him, the dean, for an appointment which was **3** hours ago." The upset look on his face was enough to stop Zack from pushing Cloud's buttons any further. Cloud was already gripping clumps of his spiky hair in his hand and was pulling hard, already starting to feel guilty again.

"It's no problem if it's the dean." Zack promptly states, not wanting Cloud to torture himself over one missed appointment with someone who he knew from experience could care less. Cloud turned on him with near hysterical eyes.

"What do you mean by that?!" He shouts in Zack's face. The guilt was starting to pile up now. What if he got kicked out? How would Zack know if the dean could care less, or even expect less from the student who had received this year's scholarship? His mother would be so disappointed in him if it ever came to that. He couldn't bear the thought. What was he going to do? What the hell was he going to-!

_**SLAP**_

Cloud blinks minutely as his right hand slowly reaches up to his cheek, lightly brushing the stinging pain. He looked up to see Vincent who was calmly standing there with a blank look and then turned to Zack who's hand was still up in mid-air. "What the hell was that for?" The question revealed a rather surprised tone to his voice.

"To snap you back to reality you psycho. Come on, if you're so worried, I'll take you to the dean myself." Zack's response was short and curt as he brushes past Cloud and walks out into the corridor. Cloud gaped at his receding figure and looked over to Vincent who just put a hand on his shoulder and told him to follow. He felt his legs automatically starting to walk after them though his mind was still scattered from the hard slap. _'God, could he have hit any harder?'_ He rubs a hand against his cheek again, trying to numb the pain. He finally caught up with them and saw that Zack's tense demeanor just now was disappearing; there was a small grin on his face. Vincent was laughing beside him and slung a friendly arm around his shoulder. Cloud noticed the close gesture and his eyes turned downcast. He had never seen his friend, even when they were small, act like this. It was so, so out-of-character. But he guessed that anything could have changed in the 9 years they had been separated. He had changed, wasn't that proof enough?

"Cloud. Sorry about just now…" He looks up and meets eyes with Zack who had fallen back to talk with him. He seemed a little down and Cloud assumed it was because of what had happened just now in the infirmary.

"No, it's ok. It was my fault for panicking. It was a stupid mistake to let that happen." Cloud tried to reassure Zack as he casually puts himself down as well.

"Yeah it was." Zack grins, quickly recovering from his depressed mood as he punches Cloud lightly in his left shoulder.

"Ow! Watch the sling will you?!" Cloud exclaims, moving away from Zack. His narrowed eyes watch him carefully as he rubs his injured shoulder.

"Oh, heh. Sorry." Zack rubs the back of his head as he gives a sheepish grin. "Anyways, about the dean. I know that he won't really care whether you go there or not because well," He pauses to take a deep breath and then continues, "He's my second cousin twice removed from my mother's aunt's father who married my niece's older sister's grandmother who is on my mother's side of the family."

Blue eyes widened at the confusing explanation and Cloud could only nod his head when Zack asked if he finally understood where he was coming from. "Uh yeah. Sure. Now I understand…" Zack gave him a strange look and just shrugged. "Sort of…" Cloud adds quietly as his newly found friend moves away from him towards Vincent who was now talking to a girl up ahead.

"Not another girl…" He groans to himself, already getting to run away if needed. There just might be another crowd up ahead waiting to ambush him. But Vincent didn't seem to be worried as Cloud drew nearer. It was a girl dressed in all pink which struck him odd as he had thought, remembering the uniforms that the girls before had been wearing, that the school colours were white and blue. What school was that anyways? But more importantly, why were there girls here in the first place?!?! This just makes things harder for him! He subconsciously wrings his hand in front of him, thinking about all the things that had happened to him once setting foot into this god-forsaken school. Wait, no! Even before walking through the door did he encounter problems!

1) He was annoyed, accused and refused entry into the school by "Reno" and "Rude"

2) Was chased after by crazy fangirls who gave mushy nicknames to his friends

3) Slammed into Zack and wound up in the infirmary

4) His arm is now in a sling...

5) and he missed his appointment with the dean

What could possibly go wrong now?

"Hey Cloud. Come over here. I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine!" He hears Vincent's voice call over to him as Zack's laughter fills the air. But Cloud pauses as he hears another voice join his friends'. It sounded angelic and sweet; music to his ears. He abruptly looked up and saw the girl that was standing next to them, her smiling face suddenly brightening his day. He couldn't say a word but a single thought passed through his hazy mind, _'Who is that?'_

She was the picture of perfection for him, an angel in pink with long brown hair tied in a braid that reached her slim waist. She was slender and was shorter than the guys who were standing next to her but her captivating presence seemed to more than make up for it. Cloud felt a lightness in his head which only intensified when her gaze fell upon him. He could've almost died, but what a pleasant, painless death it would've been. She smiled at him, though a curious look now entered her eyes. Wow, they were such a bright green, a shining emerald that could cut through his soul.

He weakly smiled back and then walked up to them, feeling the green monster inside of him rear its ugly head at the fact that this was Vincent's, and most likely Zack's, "friend". But if she was Zack's friend as well, why did she look uncomfortable as Zack slung an arm on her shoulder? He could see her turning her questioning gaze towards him though and he could tell by reading her lips that she was asking about who he was. The new guy of course.

A few more steps and he finally reached the small group. "Hey." He says, trying his best to act cool though he wasn't sure if it would work.

"Hi!" The emerald-eyed angel replies, giving a friendly smile that clearly signified that she knew of his "new student" status. Cloud mentally sighed at this but became distracted as she continued to speak.

"You're the new guy right?" She asks, tilting her head to the side which made her seem even cuter, her braid swaying from the small movement.

"Ha ha…yeah. Is it that obvious?" That was a good response…right? He hoped that she wouldn't notice his noticeable discomfort from being around her. As he rubbed the back of his head again, Cloud felt unsure of what would make her have a good first impression of him. But again, his thoughts were interrupted by kind laughter.

She was giggling at his shy answer and moved towards him with her hand outstretched. "Yeah, it's that obvious. My name's Aeris Gainsborough. I'm from LA."

Cloud stared at the offered hand in front of him and gaped as his ears absorbed her words. Aeris Gainsborough. God, even her name sounded melodious.

"Hmph." Cloud looked up and found that Aeris was staring at him curiously again while Zack was staring down at Aeris pre-offered hand. But they weren't the ones that had given off that peculiar sound.

"Hmph." There it goes again. This time Cloud directed his gaze towards Vincent who was eying him strangely as he cleared his throat one more time.

"Hmmmphh!" Vincent slightly nodded his head down to Aeris' hand which was still in front of him. Cloud's eyes widened at it and he felt so stupid.

"Uhh, yeah. My name's Cloud. Strife. Cloud Strife." He repeats, feeling flustered already as he grasps her delicate hand in his own warm one. It felt so small in his hands which almost seemed to resemble a giant's palm as they broke the handshake. "LA? I've heard it's getting pretty hot over there."

Zack, Aeris and Vincent stared at him for a moment before three different reactions took place. Zack's lip started to tremble from the effort to not laugh while Aeris was the one looking at him strangely. Vincent's face though held a small smile that graced his pale face as he explains Cloud's mistake.

"Cloud, Aeris' not from**_ Los Angeles_**. LA actually stands for 'Lotus Academy', the counterpart school of St. Michael's Collegiate. They're the school that's combining with our school for this year's co-ed classes."

"Oh. Yeah, I knew that. I was just kidding that's all." Even to him, the hesitant laugh that rose from his mouth seemed unconvincing.

Aeris grinned at this; she had never met a boy who was just so…childish. It wasn't a widely sought after feature that most girls liked but for Cloud, it seemed to match his shy "I've never met you before" personality. She liked it. It was refreshing in a world where jerks were hidden underneath charming exteriors. She cast a glance towards Zack but looks away abruptly as he notices the heat of her gaze. It wasn't good to bring up memories of the past; enough damage had been done when **_it_** had actually happened.

Vincent rolled his eyes but noticed the small happenings between his two other friends. It seemed like they had never fully recovered from the "incident" that had originally caused their unfortunate break-up. They were still uncomfortable with this newly found status of being "just friends" with each other. He sighed at the thought and then thinks about his own failed relationship. They had remained good friends still, though he would always have a soft spot for her. They had just grown too apart from each other that's all. Differences and all that emotional crap.

"Aeris!" An unexpected voice arrives from behind Cloud.

Aeris freezes at the noise and cringes as footsteps grew louder. Cloud turns around, assuming from the volume of the voice that this new girl was coming at full speed towards them. But no one was running. In fact, the whole corridor with its scattered occupants had gone silent as a lone figure briskly walks in the middle, her black flats padding softly on the red carpet. Cloud attuned his ears to the unexpected silence and continued to watch the figure approach them as Aeris steps up beside him; her closeness making him feel more awkward than expected.

"Ha ha…she's pretty pissed I guess." Aeris' soft voice floats up to his acute ears as she stares up ahead with an open smile.

"Who's she exactly?" Cloud asks, again feeling the one left out, which he probably was.

The few students who were left there were whispering quietly to themselves and were staring at the new arrival. The mixture of both girl and guy students were all looking upon her with clear awe and jealousy in their eyes. There were only a few pairs of eyes that did not look at her with admiration.

Vincent's own softened tenderly which were not unnoticed by Cloud who was confused by this sudden change. But for Vincent, his thoughts were more along the lines that it was like his thoughts had magically summoned her to appear right now. He looked over to Zack and could only shake his head at the amused look on his face.

"She's my-" But Zack was stopped as the voice rang up again, echoing in their ears.

"Are you talking to other people about me again?" Her wine eyes flashed towards Zack's face with undisguised annoyance which was only saved from being labeled as loathing if there wasn't a light twinkle in her eyes that said otherwise. Zack decided to play along and slapped a hand over his chest, putting a hurt look. He put on a melodramatic persona and acted likewise, putting on a scene where it looked like he had just suffered a gunshot wound.

"What? How could you accuse me of that? I would never do such a thing!" Zack's acting skills would've truly shone at that moment if his charismatic effect hadn't been ruined by the series of laughing fits afterwards.

The girl scoffed at his behavior and then turned to Aeris who was sheepishly grinning at her best friend. "Teef…I uh…well…" She was trying to look for a way on how to explain exactly what had happened. She sighed, finally giving up. She knew that she would've lost the verbal argument anyways; she could never stand being under pressure. "I'm sorry Teef."

The black-haired girl's hard demeanor lessened and she smiled. "Pshh…You're too easy Aeris. I was worried. There's no need to apologize." Her eyes caught onto Vincent who had been looking her over and now was staring off elsewhere, looking every bit the flushed gentleman.

She smiled again, her grin growing even larger at the fact she had caught him looking at her. "Hey Vin!" She greets, using a shortened name for him. It's not like she didn't know how to pronounce his full name but it suited her better to call him that.

Cloud looked over to Vincent and then back to the girl. They all seemed to be on friendly terms, especially Vincent. Including the apparent unbothered use of yet another nickname, Cloud had gathered already that the two must have a special relationship with each other. But Cloud wasn't able to carry on with this line of thought as he feels a slight poke in his right shoulder. He turns and finds himself face-to-face with the unknown girl, their noses almost touching. Their breaths swirled together in that one moment in space where everything seemed to disappear. _'Vanilla…'_ He thinks absent-mindedly for a second but then his instincts act up. Cloud quickly jumps back and stares at her, feeling self-conscious as he rubs his arm slightly in embarrassment. _'What just happened?'_ The thought runs through his mind.

She cocks her head at an angle and raises an eyebrow. What was up with him? "Who are you?" She demands, wanting to know who this newcomer was.

Aeris steps in at that moment and automatically states, "His name's Cloud Strife. The new scholarship student at SMC. Isn't that so cool? He's an old friend of Vincent's as well." She adds the last part about Vincent as she slyly glances at said person.

"Oh really? That's sounds…nice." She had a struggle with finding the right word that would define her exact emotions at that time. Even if she didn't show it, that instant encounter with this "Cloud" person had left her a little baffled. That had never happened to her before. She looked over to him and gave an apologetic grin. "Sorry about that. Just a little on edge right now. Bad day."

'_Just a little?'_ Cloud questions in his mind, not able to believe the short explanation. But instead, he replied with a "That's okay."

Her smile grew wider at his acceptance, however reluctant, as she tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "My name's Tifa. Nice to meet you." She too also held her hand out towards him and this time, Cloud was prepared. He lifted his own hand up towards her and took hold of her, holding it lightly in his hand as he shook. As he tore his eyes away from the shaking hands, he looks back up to connect eyes with her again. Those orbs of burnt sienna seemed to hold dark secrets beneath its shielded depths and Cloud felt an instantaneous bond with her, just as a single shiver ran down his spine. This sure was going to be an interesting year.

**A/N:** Ha! This chapter's longer than the first two combined! I'm so proud of myself! cough, cough Anyways, besides my obvious improvement, I'd like to say sorry to all Yuffie-lovers out there who expected her to appear in this chapter. I'm going to save her for later on okay, I did NOT forget her! Thank you to all the people who reviewed! Really appreciate it!


	4. Just Friends

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own these characters, though I wish I did. XD

If Only You Knew

Chapter Four: Just Friends

Tifa had let go of his hand first and was now talking to Aeris though Cloud himself was still a little surprised by her outspoken candor. It nonetheless intrigued him. He leans against the ornately furnished wall and studies the two friends talk. They seemed like complete opposites. Their personalities as well as their outward appearances. Tifa had dark long-flowing hair, a tall build and was wearing dark clothes at the moment that tightly hugged her figure. He blushed slightly at that last notion and shook his head.

'_It's Aeris that I like…'_ He thinks silently, turning his head in her direction again. It had automatically been decided when his eyes had first laid on her. He wouldn't have usually admitted this, even to himself but he had just felt this…this _connection_ with her that he just couldn't deny. She was laughing again and looked so carefree, a person that had not a care in the world. Her braid was swinging wildly behind her as her head nodded up and down to something that Tifa was talking about. It surprised him when they both gave sly looks in his direction and then turned away and giggled. Cloud moved away from the wall, confused by their actions.

But Zack came up to him before Cloud could question them. "Hey, Cloud. I was just talking to my buddies over there," he paused and pointed a large group of tall guys a ways from them. "And the coach is holding a meeting for all the basketball players."

"So…?" Cloud looked puzzled and wondered what this had to do with him until Zack reminded him…

"So I can't bring you to my long-distant relative."

Cloud's eyes widened, he had forgotten….**_again_**!!!

"But…." Zack says again, looking towards Tifa and Aeris who seemed oblivious to their conversation. His words brought Cloud's crashing hopes up a little bit.

"Tifa can help you find him." Zack would've suggested also that Aeris could go with him but something made him hold back from saying that tiny piece of information. It seemed illogical that he felt this way, ever since they had split up and since she had been the one who had done the splitting up. But really….

"Tifa?" Cloud mutters in a surprised voice. "What about Ae-"

"Hey Teef!" Zack cuts Cloud off, causing Tifa herself to move away from Aeris and join in on their talk. She looks between the both of them with a suspicious expression,

"What do you guys want?"

"Noth-!" Cloud tried to say something but again…

"Cloud was wondering whether you could take him to the dean."

The suspicion left her face only to be replaces by a less-than-happy look. "Oh really? It's so much fun to go and meet the dean." She rolled her eyes at the phrase and then turns her attention to Cloud who was shifting uneasily at this predicament as Zack silently moves away from the pair.

"Do you even _want_ to go with me? Or would you rather if I asked Aeris to go with you?" Tifa asks beguilingly.

At this, Cloud's head shot up and looked around to see if anyone had heard her question. He looks back at her, looking flushed at the truth which had been shoved right in front of him. "What are you talking about?" He asks quietly, his muscles tensing. Was he that easy to read?

Tifa smiled at him and nodded her head. "Of course, guys like you deny these kinds of things. But don't worry, I won't tell her. Yet."

"Hey, what do you mean by guys like me?" Cloud retorts, troubled at her choice of words. _'Yet?'_

She laughed at his reply and said, "You know, the strong, silent type who don't talk too much about their feelings. You're exactly like Vincent." A shadowed look fell over her open face and this only proved Cloud's reservations from earlier. They were connected somehow.

Tifa was consumed with her thoughts as she temporarily forgets about Cloud. Turning to look at Vincent, she could see that he was in the corner again, by himself as usual. It seemed like only yesterday when she had first met him at that fateful party so many years ago.

_

* * *

_

_Flashback_

_She was bored, so bored and left out that she had eventually gravitated to the corner near the punch bowl. But wait…there was someone there already…A guy? He had long black hair and such a blank face that she wondered whether that was a real person or not. Tifa shrugged and made her way to him, having nothing else better to do. She was at Aeris' party and Aeris was her best friend, but she realized that she wasn't meant for this world of riches and overly priced dresses. On that thought, she looks down to her own and sighs. At home, it had made her look so cool and chic but here…you get the point. It's like that saying, "Objects are closer than they appear" in mirrors, except that it now says something like, "Things seem better than they appear." _

"_Hey…" She greets the dark person in the corner as warmly as she could without sounding apprehensive. She watched his dark eyes lift and look her over. She smiles sheepishly and feels her cheeks grow red. But he looks away and seems to retreat back into his own little world. _

_Tifa arched a slender eyebrow at him, not used to being ignored so quickly. She had said hi, couldn't he have at least said hello in return? It confused her that he was so smartly dressed and well-groomed but no one else was talking to him, not even Aeris and it was **her** party. So Tifa thought that she should give it another try to coax him to talk to her. Hopefully it would make time pass by faster. _

"_So…having fun?" She notes the empty glass in his hand and mentally sighs. What a stupid question to ask when she herself had gone to the corner in an attempt to escape ensuing boredom. There was still no answer though, not even the slightest tilt of his head. _

_Annoyance tinted her voice this time as she asks another question. "Are you mute or do you just want me to leave, 'cause I can and will." _

…

_Nothing. Maybe he really was mute, or deaf, or maybe even both! She sighs again and then says, "Fine then. Nice meeting you." _

_She turns around and starts to walk off, fuming a little at her hopeless circumstances. _

"_Haha…" _

_Tifa's eyes widen at the unexpected sound. It was coming from behind her. She paused and then turned around to see a ghost of a smile on his pale face. It made him seem more human than just a still mannequin and this caused her to smile a little as well. At least she had gotten some kind of response from him, even if it did seem like he was laughing at her. _

"_I'm not a mute." He stated as she walked back in his direction again. Her grin became more pronounced at his voice. It was a deep, yet strangely melodious voice that seemed to relax the tension that had risen between them just now. Well, that's what she thought anyways. _

"_Yeah," Tifa started, trying not to laugh at that obvious point, "I can see that you're not a mute." She could see that her comment had caused his smile to grow larger and she felt a sort of tingling feeling in her chest as she watched his expression become less stone-like. _

"_So, does the non-mute have a name?" She asks coyly, feeling a little better that she had someone to really talk to right now. She wasn't alone anymore. _

_The mysterious male gave a low chuckle and replied, "Vincent Valentine. And you are…?"_

"_Tifa. Tifa Lockhart." _

"_It's nice to meet you too Tifa Lockhart." _

* * *

"Tifa? Tifa??" From nowhere, a voice enters her consciousness, piercing through her thoughts.

"Neh?" She replies, bewildered as she blinks her eyes to regain her bearings. She looked away from Vincent and sees a blonde with spiky hair in front of her. Temporarily forgetting his name, Tifa starts to ask "who are you?" but stops herself in time. The person in front of her was Cloud, the new student…right?

"Ohhhh, Cloud." She replies hesitantly, her wandering mind still a little confused.

Cloud looked at her strangely and took in her confused expression. She had been thinking about something, something other than her presumed role of bringing him to the dean. "Yeah, my name's Cloud. It sounds as if you weren't sure."

"Heh heh…" Tifa answers uneasily as she fiddles with the hem of her blazer. She looked unusually guilty.

"Ok, whatever." Cloud states, rolling his eyes at her look. "Shall we go now? We still need to find him."

"Him?" Tifa asks again anxiously, she couldn't believe it. She had forgotten everything that they were talking about just now before she blanked out. _'What's happening to me?'_ The panicky thought rushes quickly through her mind as she tries to remember.

Cloud runs a hand through his hair as he contemplates on why she was doing this to him. Why was she acting as if she had just forgotten about everything? "Did you have a memory lapse in the last past minutes Tifa? The dean?"

"Oh!" A sudden look of realization appears on her face. "Right!" She puts a fist into her hand and then she turns to everyone else. "Hey guys, have to go now. Going to give Cloud a tour of the school."

"Wha-? A tour…? But-!" Cloud stutters at her exclamation. _'Nobody said anything about a tour!!'_

"C'mon Cloud." Tifa says, brushing past him as she reaches for his hand. She grabs onto it, wanting to pull him along with her but as soon as their hands touch, she feels a spark spread across her skin. She quickly pulls away her hand and stares at him, her eyes wide.

"What did you do?" She gasps, rubbing her hand consciously. "That didn't happen before." She was referring to just now when they had shook hands though a similar, less noticeable, reaction had occurred as well.

"I don't know…" Cloud says, looking down at his own hand as he wonders about the same thing. The sudden shock had run up his arm and had subsided though the tingling sensation that it left was still there. He looks up into her wine coloured eyes and was sure he could see the same anxious, questioning look that reflected his own feelings.

"Hey, are you guys okay?" Aeris steps forward, concerned at the startled expressions on their faces.

Tifa looks over to the others who also appeared to be worried and she grinned, embarrassed at the moment. "Yeah, we're okay. Aren't we Cloud?" A hidden strand of pleading that he would agree was injected into her falsely bright voice. She was just about to nudge him lightly with her elbow but remained motionless as she remembers what had just happened when their skin had touched.

Cloud cast a glance at her, wondering what he was supposed to do.

"Uhh yeah. We're fine, just a little spark. Happens all the time. Heh…" He could tell by the returned narrowed look that he still did not seem to be very convincing. He sighed inside; he had never been good at lying. His old friends, even Vincent, had told him that his face was like an open book when it came to not telling the truth.

"You sure Teef?" Zack asks doubtfully, looking from hers to Cloud's as he studies them closely.

"I'm sure BB." Tifa replies in an annoyed voice. "Like Cloud said, just a little spark. Nothing to worry about. No problemo…"

Trailing off, Tifa starts to back away from the group. "Ok, I guess I'll see you guys later…" She turns on her heel and walks off slowly, her mind in a jumble, even more than before when she had temporarily forgotten about everything.

"BB?" Cloud suddenly appears beside her, having followed after her after she had left.

Tifa gapes at his silent movement but closes her mouth quickly. "It's another nickname. Big bro."

"Another one? Well, Zack does look like the oldest hmm? Don't tell him that or else he might pound me…Should I start calling him that too?" He asks, half jokingly though his voice did sound distant. He wanted to change the subject; he wanted to forget what had just happened. He had never experienced it before but he had to admit that it wasn't all that bad of an experience for him. Her hand had felt so soft in his and he had smelled the scent of vanilla coming from her again. It had intoxicated him for that millisecond before she had pulled away from him. _'Damnit…I shouldn't be having these thoughts…'_ He curses again, shaking his head as if to physically get rid of them. _'I like Aeris!'_

'_But…'_ He looks over to her with a new found curiosity. What would it be like to fall for Tifa? It was an innocent question right? He blinked his blue eyes and wondered where all these thoughts and ideas were coming from.

"Tifa…" Cloud starts, trying to form words in his mind. He saw those guarded eyes turn back to him and he gulped. Loudly.

"Hmm? What now?" She asks, her eyes flashing as he doesn't answer her immediately. She could've liked this guy if only he didn't seem so clueless about everything. But she guessed that was what was drawing her to him. She couldn't explain it but there was this...well, this…

'_Oh I don't know!'_ She yells in her mind, feeling frustrated at these confusing emotions that were now flooding into her system. It just seemed **_right_**, if that was the exact word to describe what she felt at that moment, to be walking beside him right now. Side by side, though the uncomfortable silence she could do without.

"Have you ever had…you know…" Cloud starts again, trying to get up the courage to ask her this one nagging question. It had just popped out of nowhere and he hadn't even considered what would happen once he knew the answer. At that moment, he only felt the sudden urgency to ask it.

Tifa looks up at him and starts to her concentration again. She examines him, wondering if she really could be friends with another person, especially one like him. She took in his untidy blond spikes, his tough looking complexion, and his bright cerulean eyes which seemed to her like a deep ocean, waiting to be explored. His lips were moving as well…but she took no notice of it.

"You're tall…" She mutters without warning, noticing the height difference. He must've been at least 3 inches taller than her and that itself was a wonder since she was pretty tall herself. But Cloud still wouldn't be deterred.

"Tifa, have you ever had a boyfriend?" The bold question finally reaches her. Tifa slows down and wonders if she had heard Cloud right.

"Neh? What did you say Cloud?" She asks, cocking her head to the side as she fully stops.

Cloud stares at her with an intense look and sighs, saying, "Please don't make me say it again Tifa…"

"But really…?" She pushes further with her question. "I'm sorry; I was honestly not listening just now." _'Because I was looking at you…'_ She admits to herself, knowing that she would never say that out loud.

Cloud takes a deep breath and then repeats his question again. "Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

He expected her to ask him why he was asking such a thing or whether he was hitting on her…which he was NOT! He was just curious. Actually, in being fair to himself, he seemed to be curious about a lot of aspects concerning her. But back to the point, Cloud awaited her reaction, hoping that he would be prepared to manage it. But the reaction that he got rather surprised him, despite his effort to not be.

She was laughing. He had never heard her laugh before but it was soft and lilting. He noted a mental comparison between hers and Aeris' but her next words caught his attention.

"Oh god Cloud. I thought you had just asked me if I've had any boyfriends…" Tifa exclaims, tossing her hand carelessly at the thought of him asking her such a thing. It would've been just too awkward.

"But Tifa…" Cloud replies in disbelief, "That's exactly what I just said…" He couldn't believe that she was laughing at him. He could not believe that she didn't believe him!! This was so weird. He had never been laughed at for something like this in his life.

"Wait…" Tifa pauses, taking in Cloud's semi-serious face and his words. "You mean…?"

'_Wait, he couldn't have…'_

"Yeah." Was his reply to her unspoken question.

"Oh. Well…I…uhhh…" She tried to stall her answer as she thinks of what to say next. How did a girl answer a guy she just met? Especially when he asks her how many boyfriends she's had?

'_Here comes the awkwardness…'_ She thinks, desperately trying to think of something that would save them both from an embarrassing moment.

"Cloud? Why are you asking this?" She could feel the heat creeping up her cheeks. She both wanted and didn't want to know the answer.

Now it was Cloud's turn to feel a little awkward, "Well, I…uhhh…." He felt himself blush at his sudden inability to answer such a simple question.

Soon, they had turned to mumbling and then silent blushing freaks who were now standing in the middle of a deserted corridor where they had stopped. They were there all by themselves and that made the atmosphere even more uncomfortable for them. They were looking away from each other, their faces turned to opposite directions, trying in a futile attempt to hide the fact that they were blushing. Tifa though was first to break the silence.

"I, I've had a boyfriend before…" She finally answers, so softly that it was almost a whisper. Trembling, Tifa looks over to Cloud and is genuinely surprised that there was red tinted across his cheeks. Why was he blushing? And more so, why was she even blushing? Why was she acting this way all of a sudden? But the answer came soon when that puzzling feeling arose in her chest again, the feeling that seemed to make her feel whole again ever since that _incident_ had happened. It was the one that made her feel right again though the fact still remained that it frightened her right to the core of what this could mean.

Cloud also glances at her, seeing the blush across her face. She looked kind of cute at that moment, with her hair framing her face and her hands held behind her back. But it was her admission that she had had a boyfriend before that had really gotten to him. He felt a small flare arise from deep inside of him at her shy-like words but he didn't know exactly what it was. Did it have to do something about her having a boyfriend? Cloud wasn't even sure if he wanted that to be answered; the implications could spell out something unwanted for him.

"I'm not asking that just to be nosy…" He explains, trying to fight back the ongoing redness that was appearing on his face, "It's just that…you know…curiosity." _'I am definitely using that as an excuse a lot today…'_

"Really?" Tifa lifts her eyes to meet his and she holds his gaze. Blue met wine. Wine met blue. Complete opposites yet an echo of familiarity reached out to the other, an echo of pain and suffering that had torn at their souls in the past.

"No." Cloud admits, not breaking her stare. There was a strained look of determination on her face and he wondered if he was personally responsible for it. "I wanted to know... well, because we're friends right?"

"Friends?" Tifa repeats slowly, thinking the idea of being friends with someone who confused her so much in one day would be a harried relationship. But the quiet earnest look in his eyes stopped her from making any kind of refusal. _'Funny,_' she thinks for a blind moment, _'I had the feeling that he was going to say something else…?' _

'_And what were you expecting exactly Tifa? He was asking because he actually wanted to get to know you?' _A small malicious-sounding voice snickers in the back of her mind.

'_Shut up…To be friends, of course you have to get to know the other…'_ She thinks in reply though the small voice's damage had already been dealt. Friends? Being friends was good. But was that what she had really hoped for deep inside? That he would say he would actually like to get to know her? She already knew that he had been immediately hooked on by Aeris as most guys were but also, most people didn't know that she still had feelings for Zack of who was the most notorious playboy in the whole school. It had been quite the talk of the school when they had broken up, many variations of what people thought had happened between the two swarming the school through unwanted gossip. But Tifa knew the real truth, one that could've almost brought her to tears.

'_Nearly the same thing that happened when me and Vincent broke up…They may have broken up on different circumstances but the ending was the same.'_ Tifa willfully pushes back the contemplative ideas. She did not need any more bad memories in her life right now. This new friendship would bring her more happiness…hopefully.

"I guess so." The words slipped past her lips, almost sounding as if she were sighing them.

His eyes visibly brighten at her answer and a smile graces his lips which had suddenly caught her attention. "And friends help each other right Teef?"

The use of her ever-so-popular nickname jolted her back to reality. She found herself staring back into his too blue eyes and she backed away yet again for the second time. "Uh yeah, sure. Where are you trying to go with this Cloud?" She was still a little preoccupied but made an effort to listen this time.

"Well, remember what said just now? You know, before you blanked out on me." He replies, his words coming out a little too fast and too low for her to follow.

"I mean, I know I might seem to be rushing this and all but could you? Will you…" Tifa arched an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah…?" She answers, still wondering why he was stalling his question. But she felt the first flutters of hope in her heart. What the hell was wrong with her?!?! Really?!?! Did she like him? Was that the only explanation she could think of right now?

'_It could be true…'_ The small voice was back, trying to poison her thoughts with n'er-do-wells.

"Will you…?" He groaned in frustration as he slaps his head.

Her patience was quickly running out as Cloud starts and stops without even finishing his question. She didn't know what he was talking about nor what she was supposed to say. _'Let's just wing it shall we?'_ She really did want him to just get to the point.

"Cloud, just ask me the question already will you?!" She exclaims, clearly on her last straw of tolerance for his ramblings. There was a limit for everyone, and this was hers.

His head jerks up to face her and he finally asks.

"Will you help make Aeris like me?"

Tifa stared at him, her mouth wide open in an "o" shape. Those imaginary flutters of hope in her heart crashed down, burning to ashes at the bottom of her being. Really, what **had** she been expecting from a guy as handsome as he was? To pick her over a girl like Aeris. The thought of it was almost enough to make her wince.

No words left her lips at that moment. It was such a shock for her to hear someone ask her this though even still, she had been hearing these kinds of questions every single day of her life ever since meeting Aeris. Let's recap; ever since she had passed through, dare she say it, "puberty", Tifa had been sought after for two reasons and only two. One, for her own captivating physical features and two, for her close friendship with Ms. Aeris Gainsborough who was the perfect girl that everyone wanted. Most of all her friends who were guys had only befriended her for those sole reasons and she had to admit to herself, that it had annoyed her and had caused an edgy encounter with her best friend more than once. Was there anything more behind this pretty face, this shallow skin that hid what really mattered in a person? But she had always felt that it wasn't hers or Aeris' fault that this always happened, it was just the way things were. But this, the fact that even Cloud, a newcomer, had fallen for Aeris so suddenly seemed too much for her to handle at that point. How long could she shoulder these burdens of trying to heal her own broken self-esteem when every single guy that she met was yearning to get together with her own best friend or her only for her looks?!?!? It just frustrated her to think about it but really, what could she do? Her own personality and character did not seem to matter to anybody she had ever met, except...

"..." She still couldn't say anything. It was as if her tongue was caught in a trap but she wasn't even sure if she wanted to say anything.

Cloud felt like a bumbling idiot for asking such an upfront question and she wasn't even going to answer him! He hangs his head in shamed silence. It was not like him to say those kinds of things, especially to a person (or should he say "friend") that he just met. He didn't know what had come over him to act that way.

'_Tifa must think me a complete loser. Asking her to help me to get together with **her** best friend…it doesn't work like that.'_

The blonde shuffles his feet and wondered what she would say this time, this raven-haired girl that bemused him every time they spoke.

"Cloud, I..." His head lifts up again at her soft voice and he saw her pale face. He hadn't known his question would've affected her this much. Her once strong eyes, the ones that had held his own for so long, now looked somewhat vulnerable to him. _'Surely…'_

Her voice sounded raw as well. "Tifa, I'm sorry…" He apologizes, though for what reason he did not know. It just seemed like the right thing to do, anything to make her smile again. He moves closer to her and puts a hand on her shoulder.

Tifa looks up at him and gives a small smile. But it wasn't the smile he was looking for. It seemed less warm and real, it just seemed…well, a little fake.

'_What's wrong with her?'_ He thinks, feeling himself getting closer and closer to her.

"What are you saying sorry for Spikey?" A girl's voice sounds from their right side.

Tifa looks over and almost chokes as she sees the new girl that had only arrived at their school a few days prior. She had short, dark hair and brown eyes that sparkled with mischief but the mischief disappeared once her eyes lay upon Tifa. She took in the taller girl's morose expression and her eyes turned back to Cloud who was feeling a little intimidated by shorter yet spunkier girl.

"Tifa? Is this guy bothering you?" She exclaims, her hand moving suggestively to the small dagger at her side. "'Cause ya know, I can always deal with him for you…" Her sentence ended off with a menacing tone.

Cloud's eyes widen at this and he lifts up a hand in an act of surrender while his arm encased in a cast slightly trembled. "No, nothing's wrong." He turns to Tifa for help, an insistent look in his eyes.

The whole scenario; it just made her want to laugh at its incredulity. She and Cloud had just been talking about helping him get together with Aeris and then Yuffie comes along and starts to threaten him. And soon the laughter just worked its way up her chest and exploded. The look on Cloud's face at the threat was priceless, no dark mood nor could any question ruin that moment.

"Oh my god….ha ha…you…you!" She pointed her finger at Cloud who immediately started to turn red again. "Ha ha ha!"

"Tifa? Are you okay?" The girl with short hair asks curiously, eying Tifa warily as if she were looking for any signs of drug use. For the past few days she had known Tifa, she had never seen her act like this. It was a little surprising for her to be like this.

"Oh god…no I'm not Yuffie! Hah ah!" Tifa continues to laugh, gripping her stomach tightly as she bends over, her whole body shaking from the effort to not collapse.

Yuffie shakes her head at this and turns her attention back to Cloud though with a less serious face, "What did you do to her? She's being all weird!"

"I swear I didn't do anything!" Cloud exclaims, still red though annoyance entered his face as he watches Tifa laughing. _'She still never answered me…will she help me with Aeris or not? And what's up with her?'_ He looks over to Yuffie who was watching Tifa now with an amused look in her eyes, every now and then glancing at him.

'_Why is she smiling at me like that?'_

Eventually the laughter subsides and Tifa straightens properly, her face slightly flushed. "Sorry, I don't know what came over me. I think it's just the strain for exams that's getting to me."

Cloud furrows his brows; he didn't understand. "Exams? But aren't those usually at the end of the year?"

"Hmm?" Tifa turns to face him, "Yeah, they usually are but since I'm in the advanced classes, I get to take mine earlier."

"Advanced classes?" Cloud asks curiously.

"Yeah, advanced classes Spiky!" Yuffie injects, placing her hands on her hips, "Didn't you know that Tifa's the top-ranking student at this school?"

"Really?" Cloud mutters, glancing over at Tifa who was just staring at Yuffie while rolling her eyes, "It seems like Tifa has neglected to tell me that small detail."

She looks up to him with a quick look and then says, "You never asked anything about our classes Cloud."

Yuffie, eying the exchange between them, just shrugs and moves in front of him. "Hey Cloud, my name's Yuffie Kisaragi! Nice to meet you!"

"Ok…"

Yuffie's eyes narrowed at his one-word reply and she looked over to Tifa who was just staring back at him. The shields were back up around her eyes. Yuffie had also noticed that those same shields were also present in Cloud's eyes. She knew that these invisible barriers were to hide emotions and most importantly, she knew that they were usually used by people who had been hurt, scarred for life inside.

"Great, I'm stuck with two deeply emotional people…This makes my day…" She mutters under her breath, heaving a big sigh afterwards. But out of the blue, an idea pops up in her head. You could almost see the imaginary light bulb floating above her head suddenly turning on.

"Hey you guys," She starts slyly, her change of manner attracting the two's attention, "Was I interrupting anything just now?"

Yuffie could see the gears in their minds working. And then surprise, surprise, the obvious look of realization on their faces. It was the one that said, "Oh no…she thinks that we're…." They looked up simultaneously and open their mouths, getting ready to explain their situation.

"Because, you know I can always leave you guys to what you were doing…" This time Yuffie backs away from them suggestively as Cloud and Tifa look to one another with undisguised horror.

'_Oh god…she has the wrong idea about us…'_ Tifa thinks in her mind, her eyes wide at the notion.

'_Oh god…what is she thinking?'_ Cloud thinks in his mind, inwardly panicking as he slaps his forehead.

"We weren't-!" They shout in unison, though pause as they look at one another.

"He was-!"

"She was-!"

They stare and then Tifa purses her lips together and folds her arms. "I'll talk." She states to Cloud who just shrugged.

"Yuffie, there is nothing between us ok? We are just friends. I repeat, **_just friends_**!" Tifa explains, putting extra emphasis on the last words.

Cloud glances at Tifa with emotionless eyes. The stressed out part of them just being friends sort of bugged him. Not sure why, it just did. Clueless appeared to be his middle name today, for it seemed wherever he looked, there was always be something that he just doesn't quite get, at least immediately.

"Really?" Yuffie asks, cocking her head to the side as a doubtful expression came over her face. "That's not what it looked like just now…You guys were so close together that I thought you were going to ki-!! Hmmphh-hmpphph!!!"

At that moment, a blushing Tifa had covered up Yuffie's mouth with a hand and was grinning sheepishly at Cloud who was still silent.

"She doesn't know what she's saying. Just ignore her. She's always been pretty overexcited and her imagination has no end. She'll try to make things seem more exaggerated than they really are."

He nodded, still not saying anything. _'More exaggerated? Wait, Yuffie couldn't have possibly thought that…Me? And Tifa? No…'_

"Anything's possible…" He mutters quietly, not sure exactly what he meant by saying that. Did he mean that Yuffie could have thought of anything or did he mean, in some indefinite way, that he and Tifa could actually get together…who knows?

**A/N**: Yuffie's finally come! So it turns out that Cloud and Tifa are starting to like each other, even if they are just friends at the moment. Sorry if it may be a little confusing. XD I'm a little confused myself. Anyways, Read (which you've probably already done if you'r up to this part) and Review:D


	5. His Question

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own these characters, though I wish I did. XD

If Only You Knew

Chapter Five: His question

Tifa thought she had heard him say something but as Cloud turned and started to walk away from her, that thought was pushed out of her mind.

"Hey! Where are you going?" She calls out after him, lifting her hand from Yuffie's mouth as she follows.

He looked back at her and shrugged, "I dunno. But I'm still looking for the dean."

"The dean? What do you need to go to him for?" Yuffie exclaims, jumping up beside Tifa who was starting to regret her decision to uncover her mouth. Sometimes, Yuffie was just too curious and…bouncy.

"I **_had_** an appointment with him." Cloud answers, feeling down for some unknown reason as he grows aggravated towards Yuffie's rather annoying matter.

Yuffie frowned accordingly to his sharp tone and folded her arms, giving out a "humph!"

Tifa looks at Cloud and then turns her head to Yuffie, sighing at the scenario. "Hey Yuffie, I'm sorry. I have to go with him. I'm his…guide…" She cringed a little at the word but Yuffie was barely paying attention as she turns on her heel and starts to walk away, giving a wayward glance and a flourish of her hand to Tifa.

"Just to let you know Teef, the dean's not there in his office. He's leaving for vacation remember?" Yuffie calls out as she turns the corner.

'_Vacation? In the middle of school? What's gotten into him?_'

"That can't be right…Yuffie!" She calls after the young girl but Yuffie was gone. Tifa sighed once more, filing the senseless information into her mind, and then ran after Cloud who gave no signs of waiting for her to catch up with him. Once she did though, she cut in front of him and then stood her ground.

"Why were you so mean to Yuffie back there? She was just asking a simple question."

He shrugged at her and then attempted to sidestep her.

Tifa moved to block his way, making Cloud grunt in irritation. She started to say more things as she tried to figure out what was wrong. She also hoped to get a better answer than a non-committed shrug.

"There was no need to get all down about it. She was joking just now ok? About us? It's just her way of being…friendly."

"Joking about what?" He growled lowly, looking up at Tifa with hardened eyes.

"What's wrong with you Cloud Strife?" She mutters to his face, taken aback by this sudden change in attitude. Was this a different person than the shy, quiet man who had sparked her hand and maybe even something else she had thought long ago frozen? No, it couldn't be. This man had the same face, the same uncontrollable hair and the same electrifying blue eyes that made her feel so different in his gaze. It had to be him.

"Nothing's wrong…" He replies quietly, turning away from her. His sour mood was already starting to lift. But her eyes just then….were they filled with concern? Was Tifa actually worried about him? That was a first; usually people just left him alone after one of his responsive grunts or mutters. But then again, he hadn't met someone like Tifa before so who knew? She always seemed to surprise him and from what he saw and knew, it was just her way of doing things. He smiled, he couldn't help it. Tifa was Tifa, and for the short time he knew her, he had already discerned that she was a pretty understanding.

'_But nobody…nobody could understand the feeling of being left alone in this world, just as my life started anew.'_ The thought saddened him, causing in turn the smile to lessen. _'Nobody could understand what I had to go through…by myself…'_

Tifa grinned, having just caught a glimpse of the beginnings of a smile. Finally, some progress! It seemed hesitant at first but grew wider. She liked his smile; it was the first time she had ever seen him look even remotely relaxed or happy. The idea that something could make him like this made her happy. Even if she barely knew him, seeing him this way just made her feel happy as well.

"I see. Well then, why don't we go to the front entrance right now?" She suggests, grinning lightly at his back as she folds her hands behind her.

His head shot up and Cloud turned around to face her again. "The front entrance? But what about the de-!"

"Sh!" Tifa exclaims, putting a finger in front of her lips. "One more time you say that word, I won't take you to see the dean anymore."

"But you just said it…" Cloud mutters under his breath sulkily, folding his arms as he looks down to his feet.

Tifa couldn't help but giggle at his posture. With his arms folded and that little pout on his face, he looked just like a kid who had just been refused to raid the cookie jar. _'Ha-ha, denial…'_

"Anything wrong Ms. Tifa?" Cloud looks up, curious at the new voice but as he sees him, he was filled with a sudden loathing. It was those two again, but this time it was the usually silent person talking. He was about to tell Tifa that they should go and find **_him_** but she had already ran up to the two and was saying hellos. She looked over her shoulder at him and beckoned him over to join them. Cloud could just imagine their reactions as he walks over to them. As he does, Rude and Reno immediately freeze at the sight of him and then start to murmur quietly to them selves. Cloud saw the perfect opening.

"Hey guys! Remember me? The front doors?"

Both the doormen looked up and muttered quiet "hellos" and "yeahs" at him and then averted their gazes.

Tifa watched this exchange with a curious interest. Usually the two doormen were as talkative as ever.

'_Well, that's not exactly true…'_ She thinks as she looks over to Rude, _'He doesn't talk much but Reno,'_ she looks over to him now. _'Talks enough for the both of them…'_

She shrugged and then announced, "Well, sorry guys. Can't stay long, me and Cloud are going out together."

The two doormen looks at her with wide eyes and looked as if they were about to choke. Cloud's expression wasn't that far off either.

She eyed the three of them inquisitively, wondering what was wrong. Turning to ask Cloud who again had started to turn red, Tifa asked, "What did I say?"

"It's not what you said exactly Tifa…" Cloud starts, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "It's just **_how _**you said it…"

"How I said it? That you and…I…are… going out…oh…" Tifa's eyes widen at the mistaken phrasing of her words. Damnit, why were all these things happening? First Yuffie thought they were ki- well, you know and then now Rude and Reno must think that she and Cloud are…dating? Somehow that small thought didn't stun her as much though she knew it was quite impossible…Aeris. It was all because of her…no wait, she had promised herself not to put any blame on her friend for all of her misgivings. Besides, her last relationship had been ended by her so……ah, screw this…

"Sorry, R & R. I didn't mean it to be...like…that? What…where are they?" Tifa looks around, clearly annoyed that the doormen weren't even there anymore.

"They left when you were trying to figure out exactly what you were saying…" Cloud replies dryly, rolling his eyes at her slowness.

Tifa scoffed and then mutters under her breath, "They better not say anything…"

"The…you know, **_him_**?" He stops himself from saying the "d" word, not wanting to incur the threat of not seeing him at all.

"Oh right." Tifa exclaims, swinging back and forth on her flats. "This way then."

She starts to walk down the hallway again and Cloud easily matches his stride with hers. They continued to walk in silence until Cloud recognizes the front hall that he had spent around a minute before Zack had started dragging him along to be chased by uhhh….shudder fan girls. That must've been one of the scariest moments in his life, right next to Yuffie's accusation that he and Tifa had been….yeah, you get the point. But the past memory triggers something that was important to the both of them. His question.

She had never answered it yet…

"Tifa?" He asks hesitantly, taking his time to ask her again. Was this going to be a repeat of just now, when everything had turned silent?

"Yeah?" She could tell by the sudden tenseness radiating from him that this question would affect her as well. Question…oh no…was he going to ask her that same question again? Before, she'd had an answer but now, even if it was for a few minutes more, she seemed to have connected more deeply with him. Had he felt that way too? Or was the feeling only hers to know?

"You know, just now…" He says, thinking, _'Yep, this is going to be the exact same thing as before…'_

"Cloud," Tifa interrupts him gently, amusement and suspense fighting over each other inside her, "Just say it okay?"

They were nearing the door, but none of it really mattered to them right now. It was as if they were automatically walking, not knowing where nor what they had been doing. All that mattered was his question and her answer.

"You never answered my question." He finally expresses, glancing at Tifa's expression.

Her face remained impassive as she turns his words around and around in her mind. What should she do? If she said no, then he would probably be angry with her or might even stop talking to her and that wasn't an idea that she exactly enjoyed. Especially with this growing crush that she had on him but if she said yes…then…she would have to help **_him_** get together with **_her_** best friend. What was a girl to choose? They were both hard choices and they both came with equally hard-to-bear consequences. But…there was a third choice to her that wasn't all that appealing but would buy her some time to think things through. She had to be calculating, manipulative and cunning to pull this off.

All she had to do was make up an excuse and run away. Simple eh? No, she couldn't do that. It just wasn't in her to deceive someone. Well, there was that incident at her last school in England where she had switched the signs of the girls' change room and the guys'…but that didn't count did it? And plus, that was a long time ago. Just last month. But she was starting to ramble again. Okay, perhaps she could try and stall her answer. Hopefully her attempts would work. Hopefully.

"What question?" Tifa replies in a question, putting on an "I have no clue what you're talking about" voice.

"You know, **_the_** question..?" Clouds presses with an earnest tone. She couldn't have forgotten that fast, could she?

"No, of course I don't. What are you talking about?" They were standing in front of the door now, Tifa's hand just sitting on the door handle.

"Tifa…" Cloud growls loudly, why was she being this way? He had seen the moment's look of recognition on her face when he had mentioned about before, so why? Did she want to answer him? Did she even have an answer? Wait, was she stalling then?

"You're stalling aren't you?" He demands in an accusing tone, his eyes sharp and determined to get a reply.

Her hand trembled on the door handle as she avoided looking at him. "Of course not Cloud. Why would I? It's just that, well, I have short-term memory and all."

"Stop lying Tifa. Why are you stalling? Is it because you don't have an answer?" He sighs heavily and runs a hand through his hair. He only did that when he was frustrated and boy, was he frustrated right now. She hadn't even given him a straight answer yet, let alone one that was true.

'_Yes, it is because I don't have an answer!'_ She screamed in her head, wanting to say it out loud in reality but knowing she could not.

"No, well, It's because….I uhh…" Her hand pushed a little on the door and it moved an inch. Cloud barely noticed it, his attention fully on Tifa who could almost feel the sweat rolling down the side of her jaw. "I..uh…"

She glances outside, her mouth still half open. _'Come on Tifa, think of something!!!!!' _Something catches her eye, a figure dressed in khaki pants and…a Hawaii-print shirt? Oh shit…_ ' His car…his car…it's…packed!??!?' _

"Oh god! He really is leaving!!!" Tifa yells absurdly, pushing open the door and sprinting down the steps, leaving Cloud behind to stare in amazement at her speed.

"He?" He asks curiously to no one in particular.

Tifa continued to bound down the steps but realized that she was the only one making the trip down.

"What? Cloud!!!" She looks up to the doors where he was still standing, looking at her.

"What do you think you're doing!?!? The dean's leaving!" She points down to the same man that was just about to get in the car. She rolls her eyes as she watches his face change from shock to resolve and then starts her descent downwards again. Though she was fast and had a long head start, tenacity fueled Cloud which ended up with them both reaching the bottom of the stairs at the same time. They were both breathing hard and Tifa could only wonder why the dean had ordered to have 200 steps of stairs installed.

Both she and Cloud run towards the car and as they approach it, Tifa bounds forward and starts to tap on the window with a finger. Cloud wasn't sure if she was supposed to do that but as long as he got to talk with the dean and explain what exactly had happened then….

"What the fuck do you frickin' think you're doing Lockhart!?!?!" A gruff voice shouts from behind the rolling down tinted window.

Cloud couldn't believe it. This was the dean???? He took a closer look and saw the weather-beaten face, the blue eyes though a little duller than his own and the cropped dirty-blond hair. He had a pair of goggles on his forehead and a cigarette in between his teeth.

Cloud coughed a little at the smoke that was coming out from the lit cigarette. This drew the dean's attention to him. "What? Can't handle the smoke you little wimp?"

'_Can't handle your swearing either…'_ He thinks but keeps the thought at bay from reaching his lips.

Cloud narrowed his eyes and then replied, "I can. I-"

"Well then stop frickin' coughing will you?!?!"

"Heh heh…" Tifa laughs hesitantly, finally interrupting their argument. Today he was in a particularly bad mood. "Cid…"

"Dean Cid to you girl!" He replies sharply, staring at her in annoyance.

Tifa shook her head and when she looked back to him, her eyes were hardened. "**_Cid_**, this is Cloud Strife. He's the new scholarship student."

Cid flinched at the use of his full name but couldn't help but grin. Tifa had always been one stubborn girl. Ever since he had first met her, which was quite a while when she had been adopted into their widely spread family, she had always been a forthright and willful child.

He looked towards Cloud who held his gaze and he smirked again. He could see that this boy also had a stubborn streak. "Well kid, great to see you. But I have to get going. All the information's in my office so you can just ask Tifa here to get it for you."

"Wait, you're not mad at me for missing the appointment…?" Cloud asks as Cid starts to roll the window back up.

"Mad? Appointment? We were supposed to have one? Maybe that's what Shera was tryin' to tell me today…." Cid trailed off, trying to remember what she had said beforehand in the early morning as he scratches the top of his head. He just shrugs and then turns to Tifa, "I'm leaving it all up to you kiddo."

Tifa cringed at the name and wondered randomly, _'How many nicknames can one girl have? Teef, Kiddo, and so many more that I can't or don't even want to remember…'_

"Thanks, I guess. Bye Cid. Have a nice vacation!" She exclaims, recovering from her temporary pause.

"Wait, who fuckin' told you that I was havin' a vacation!?!?!?" Cid yells but Tifa had already turned away and was walking up the stairs. Cloud was still staring at Cid, a mildly amused look on his face now and then he too turned to leave. But not before Cid shouted out something that made him freeze.

"Hey boy! You better take care of Tifa or else! Look after her for me!!"

And with the window fully rolled up, the car speeds away, leaving dust flying in its wake. Cloud watched it leave as he mulled over Cid's last words. _'Look after Tifa? Did he think, we…oh no…not again…'_

"We're not together!" He utters lowly, walking after Tifa who was waiting for him at the base of the stairs.

"Hmm? Did Cid say anything else?" Tifa asks, unbeknownst to her Cid's request of Cloud's protection over her.

"No, he didn't say anything important…" Cloud replies, giving a small sigh. "So, I guess you're going to get everything for me then? Back at the office?"

"Yeah…" She answers, nodding her head in assent. "I'll get all the files and your schedule first of all."

"Thanks Teef. I really appreciate you helping me." Cloud expresses gratefully, on the way to a smile.

"No problem." She looked over to him as they started their ascent of the stairs. He looked so much more relieved now that he had met up with Cid who really wasn't a bad person once you got past the swearing, the smoking and his weird fashion sense. She thought about his reluctant admittance that he had also forgotten about the appointment and giggled, averting her gaze from Cloud.

"What's up now?" He inquires questioningly. From his point of view, she had been looking at him and then started giggling. _'Is there something on my face?'_ He lifts a disinclined hand to his cheek and checked if there was anything on his face.

"What are **_you_** doing?" Tifa asks in turn, her snicker turning out into a full blasted laugh as she watches him examine face.

"There's nothing on your face silly. I was just thinking about how you were panicking so much about your missed appointment only to find out that Cid himself had already forgotten about it." She smiled enthusiastically at him, shaking her head in mirth.

Cloud smiled at this, _'So she found it funny that I was making such a big deal about it…'_

"That's not fair Teef…It's not my fault…" He says, trying in a weak attempt to defend himself and his behavior beforehand.

"No, of course not Cloud. It was Cid's…" She answers jokingly, still laughing at the past memories.

"I can tell that you believe me…" He mutters in reply, shaking his head this time at her. He felt lighthearted at that moment, there with Tifa, as they climbed the stairs together.

Tifa looked over to him and loved the look on his face. It looked so optimistic. She felt herself give him a warmhearted smile and was even more surprised when he returned the smile back to her. She was falling for him wasn't she? She was falling for the guy whose smile was rarely seen and for the guy who liked her best friend.

"Tifa, about before…" Cloud's smile lessens as a serious expression comes over his face.

She paused at the sound of her name. She like the way he said it, low and almost sweet-sounding. But it was awareness of knowing what he was about to ask her that made her feel distressed. He was still expecting an answer from her and now there was no escape. She had to answer. Suddenly, Tifa felt cornered which was stupid because they were at the top of the stairs now, right by the doors and there was plenty of room to run away. But nonetheless, the feeling did not change. She could see that he was preparing to say it, ask it. That dreaded question that made the knot in her stomach hurt. Here it comes…

"Tifa, will you help me or not?"

She stared up at him, eyes locking onto each other. She felt faint at once as soon as his lips had uttered those words.

What was she going to do?

**A/N**: O.o Ohh! What will Tifa say? What will be her answer? Cliffhangers are awesome!!! R&R please!!! Thanks to everyone who did review! Really appreciate it!


	6. Her Answer

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own these characters, though I wish I did. XD

If Only You Knew

Chapter Six: Her Answer

'_What am I going to say!?!?'_ Tifa thought desperately, searching her mind for the answer. Will she help him or not? Will she get him together with her best friend and perhaps even break her heart? He was smiling at her right now, yes, smiling…hopefully while she was stuck in turmoil. Tifa looked away; his smile would weaken her defenses. She looked away from him and ended up staring at the cast on his arm. A wave of concern flooded through her systems but she furiously stamped down on the unwanted emotion. But, it was alright for a friend to worry over another friend right? Because…they were only just friends.

'_But…' _She raises her gaze, feeling every inch the tongue-tied school girl, though in reality she actually was one.

'_If just the thought of Aeris makes him smile this way, isn't it worth it? To say yes…to…help him?_'

If she got to see that smile everyday, even when he ends up with Aeris, would it keep her content? She looks his way and shivers at the realization. If only that smile would appear for her alone….If only…there had been too many heartbreakers in her life. And by following through with this decision, she would definitely be adding Cloud to the list. But that still didn't seem to break her resolve. She would help Cloud, the best she could, get acquainted with his "flower girl." All she hoped for though was that she could just follow through with her decision.

'_There's no turning back now Tifa…'_ She thought, preparing herself to give the dreaded answer.

"Cloud…" Her voice trembled slightly and she halted briefly, taking in a deep breath. Now was not the time to get all emotional. _'Psh…As if that would happen…'_

"Yes…?" Cloud was filled with anticipation. What would be her answer? He had seen the struggle in her candid eyes and was worried. If she said no, what would he do next? Would Tifa tell Aeris about this? He should've known to keep his mouth shut from the beginning. _'What a mess…'_

"Well, the question was really sudden…."

"Yeah…" His hopeful face dropped a fraction, seeing that Tifa was going to prolong her answer as long as she could.

"But I've decided…that I, I…."

She couldn't believe she was going to say this….

"I'll help you Cloud."

There, it was out! Finally! Tifa looked up uncertainly at Cloud and was mildly amused at the joyous look on his face though it did not dull the sinking feeling that she felt in her stomach. How was she going to cope with helping him? At the beginning of the semester, Tifa had thought that it would be easy and fun, actually _**fun**_, to go through this year with her friends since she did not have to attend any classes but now that this dilemma had shown up right in front of her, she was starting to think otherwise.

"Really? Oh God Tifa. I don't know what to say…" Cloud trailed off, blinking his eyes in obvious disbelief at her answer.

"A 'thank you' would work." Tifa replied, smiling though the smile didn't seem to reach her downcast eyes. In fact, they seemed to grow sadder in Cloud's gaze. He wondered why. Was it possibly because of him? But Cloud had no time to dwell on these thoughts.

"Yeah, thanks Teef."

Tifa mentally winced at the use of her nickname, not because she disliked it but it also now symbolized that both he and she were getting used to having each other as friends. She stared inside the hall through the doors and sighed, seeing no one who could distract her from this depressing moment.

"No need." She forced herself to say it as she pushed the transparent door open. "Hey, let's go in now Cloud. It's starting to get a little chilly out here." It was a lie of course but Tifa really didn't feel like staying out there anymore. She shivered slightly to strengthen her statement and walked in through, giving in one last push of the door so Cloud could come in too. She blinked her eyes rapidly, still amazed that no one was in the hall at all. It was quite surprising actually, it was usually full of moving and chatting students but it was a Sunday of course today, so maybe everyone was staying in their dorms. Which then lead her to think about Cloud's own arrangements…?

"Cloud," She turns around to face him but still continues to walk backwards, her hands folded behind her back.

"Hmm?" He looked up which signaled Tifa that she had his full attention.

She smiled gently and then asked with a curious voice, "Where's your dorm?"

"My dorm?" Cloud repeats slowly, digesting the question and then he furrows his brows. "Actually…I'm not even sure where the dorms are…" He scratched his head and scowled at the fact. Ever since arriving, he hadn't even been able to ask about directions or where he was going to stay for the remainder of his studies. "Heh…"

Tifa resisted the urge to roll her eyes and sighed as she looked upon him. "No wonder you need a guide."

She frowned and folded her arms, appearing pensive. "Well then…I guess we have to stop by at the office first. Cid did say that everything you needed to sort things out was in there. Really, that inconsiderate bum…couldn't he have waited for the end of the school year, like _**normal**_ people, to go on vacation?"

Cloud chuckled at Tifa's huffed up statement, shaking his head at her words. "Ok then, I leave my fate in your ever-so-capable hands Ms. Lockhart."

Tifa stuck her tongue out at him playfully and giggles, her eyes now appearing bright though the thought of future plans made her uneasy. But she had promised herself to live in the moment, not to think about the past nor worry about the future. It was going to be her new motto. She would live her life day by day, and take whatever may come her way. She'd try her best.

"I'm not sure whether to take that seriously or not." She remarked, giving a mischievous wink in return. "Anyways, I guess it's off to the office we go!"

She turns around to face forward and smiles to herself, her dark hair swinging wildly behind her as she quickens her steps into a skip. Cloud looked on, not able to defy the impulse to grin at the amiable sight. He felt as if a heavy weight had just been lifted from his shoulders. He wasn't alone anymore and he somehow felt reassured that Tifa was there to help him. She gave off the sense of security that he had yearned for the past few years after his mother had died. It was most likely because she had been emotionally and physically protected for most of her life, unlike him. People like Tifa, Vincent, Aeris, Zack and even Yuffie, for the brief time he had known them, they all seemed cool and in control of their lives, never having suffered from pain or sorrow. No one knew what he had had to go through in his life.

"Cloud? Are you coming? You're walking so slowly!"

He blinks and then focuses on Tifa who was already at the other end of the hall. _'How did she get all the way over there?!?'_ He questions in his mind, surprised by the distance that she had covered already. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he had never even noticed her departing.

"Hey! Wait! I'm coming!" He calls out in reply, picking up the pace as Tifa threatens to leave him. "Tifa!!!"

**Meanwhile…**

After Tifa and Cloud had left, Vincent couldn't dismiss the fact that he felt quite uncomfortable with his childhood friend being alone, together with Tifa, even if she was only giving him a tour of the school. Only. What if they…would they…? No, no, no! What was he thinking?

'_Nonsense, that's what!'_

Vincent slapped the heel of his palm against his forehead and sighed, he still wasn't over her, was he? How could he when she was the only person he had ever truly cared for? The only person who he had opened his heart to? Since she had returned, Vincent had started questioning the past again. Useless questions, but they still weighed down his mind. If her father…he paused. This would've been a delicate subject if he ever brought it up again. But the thought did not disappear as he tried to will it away from his troubled mind. Instead, it continued its destructive path.

If her father hadn't been killed, would she have still been together with him? If the pain hadn't been too much for her to handle, would she still have left and moved to England? If Tifa had only confided in him, would he have been able to bear with her the pain and sorrow that he knew accompanied the death of a loved one? And most importantly, if he had only stopped her from getting on that plane and walking out of his life, would these past few years been filled with joy and laughter or would it have still been ridden with pain and sorrow? These questions would never receive an answer so long as Vincent didn't voice them out to the one person he would hate to hurt.

"Tifa…" He whispers, so low that no one else could hear him mutter her name.

"Vin? Dude, why do you look like you're constipated?" Snapping fingers suddenly appeared in front of his face, just as a loud voice exclaims to the left of him. Vincent's dark eyes widen at the implication and he grimaces.

He looked up to face Zack and turned away, sighing heavily at his friend's attempt to provoke him which in itself was a challenge. "Leave me alone Zack."

"Come on man; don't be like th-oof! Aeris!"

Aeris had stepped forward and elbowed Zack hard in the side, causing Zack to back off, which Vincent deeply appreciated. Even though he didn't want to say it, Zack never seemed like the serious type while Aeris seemed to understand him more, at least to an extent. He kept them all at a distance now. Rejection from Tifa had partially brought back the old anti-social Vincent.

"Don't mind him Vincent; it's just his way of showing that he's _**concerned**_. But why the long face?" Aeris asks gently, clearly not trying to be meddlesome.

Vincent chuckled lowly at Aeris' words. He knew that Zack was concerned but he also knew that his temperamental friend also had issues with showing his real emotions and had always put on an act ever since they had first met a couple of years ago.

"What long face?" He replies, using his hand to cover up his expression. A few moments of silence and then Vincent looked through the shadowy gaps of his fingers and found that Aeris was still standing there with her arms folded and a steely look in her eyes. Zack was standing behind her and was doing hand motions, presumably trying to make fun of his own mess. Vincent could only roll his eyes as he removed the hand from his face.

"It's nothing Aeris. Really, it's nothing that you should worry your head over." Vincent announces, hoping that she would fall for his slight deception.

"Your pretty, little head if I might add." Zack mutters from behind her, earning himself a heated glare. But unfortunately though, his short-lived distraction did not deter Aeris' attention…

"Vincent, you're worried about her, aren't you?" She says, turning back to Vincent. He looked away and a sense of satisfaction overwhelmed Aeris as she notes red tinting his marble-like cheeks.

"Awww, that's so sweet. But I'm sure she and Cloud are getting along just fine." Aeris insisted with the maternal manner of a mother reassuring a child. Vincent winced at the implications in her words and cast a glance at Zack who had suddenly turned around and was humming some unknown but a disturbingly merry tune.

'_That's what I'm worried about…'_ Vincent thinks silently, all the while thinking of how to distract Aeris' attention from himself.

"Who said I was worried about Ti-… Uh, I mean, who said I was worried about something?" Vincent catches himself before falling for the word trap. He had to be more careful when it came to these kinds of things. Aeris narrowed her eyes at him, causing Vincent to swallow loudly.

"Come on. It's only us. You don't have to be like that Vincent. Just admit it; you still have feelings for her!" Aeris presses, wanting to get an answer from her withdrawn friend. She had already started to point her index finger accusingly towards Vincent who started to back away cautiously in fear of injury.

"Tsk tsk."

Aeris looked over to Zack who had an amused grin on his face. "What?"

"It's not very nice to point fingers Aeris. It doesn't suit you." Zack answers, coming up from behind her to grab her hand. He closed his own around hers and squeezed gently, causing Aeris to glare at him with a face of surprise which swiftly flashed to annoyance. She pulled her hand away from his and stood silent, her eyes hard.

"What do you think you're doing Fair?" She demands, her voice low as she averts his searching gaze.

Zack winced at the use of his last name and couldn't help but think of what he had done to cause this change of attitude towards him. It had been his fault in the beginning after all. It had been his own cursed uneasiness around her that had caused him to philander about with other girls. It had been his fault that they had broken up, even though she had been the one to utter those parting words. He could only blame this on himself. Zack winked back at Aeris, doing the only thing he knew how to do: play around.

"Why, I was just holding your hand. Did that annoy you so Ms. _**Gainsborough**_?" He replies in a wicked voice, smirking at her mischievously as he loudly exaggerates her last name.

"Zack…" Vincent cuts in with a slight warning tone, not able to watch his friend's actions. He knew all about Zack's inability to express his feelings directly. Heck, he himself suffered from its inflictions so he should know.

"What now Vincent?" Zack sighs, feeling somewhat annoyed all of a sudden.

"Just give it a bre-!!...What the..?" Vincent stops and turns around to face the person that had just bumped into him. It was a dark-haired girl with brown eyes which were now trying to burn a hole through his face.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" The unknown girl states stridently, narrowing her eyes at Vincent who just stood there, bewildered at her vehement behavior. Vincent gaped at her, his mouth wide open in surprise. This girl who was like five inches shorter than him was telling _**him**_ to watch where he was going? He hadn't even been moving.

'_Speak for yourself Shorty…'_ Vincent snaps back angrily in his mind though he held his sardonic tongue as he heard Aeris speak up from behind him. She moved forward and promptly bowed her head to the mysterious girl, giving her a soft smile as she straightened.

"Konnichiwa Kisaragi-san! O-genki desu ka?"

Vincent looked over to Zack with a question in his shady eyes but the only answer he got in return was a halfhearted shrug. _'I don't know who she is!'_ He mouths over to Vincent who just averted his gaze, shaking his head in obvious disbelief. Zack knew everyone…seriously; no one could get in without him knowing. Vincent looked back to the other girl and by her expression; he could see that she seemed quite friendly with Aeris.

Yuffie's eyes brightened at the familiar words and she replied in an ecstatic voice, "Genki desu demo… Aeris-chan? Why you are…never mind. But please, just call me by my first name from now on ok? And why in the first place were you speaking in Japanese if I can clearly speak in English…?"

Aeris winked playfully at her and grinned. "Dunno, just felt like it I guess. Speaking Japanese outside of class might just give me the boost I need in Languages to qualify for international studies."

"Oh…that sounds cool. Hope you qualify then!" The bubbly girl replies, giving a big thumbs up as she already forgets about the tall man she had just bumped into.

"Hmm…" Zack mutters under his breath as he studies her, "You wouldn't happen to be that "White Lily" girl that everyone's talking about Kisaragi-san?"

"Hai! I mean…who did you hear that from?" Yuffie mummers shyly, blushing faintly at the name. She didn't think that it would've followed her all the way from Japan. "But please…my name's Yuffie. I don't think I can handle hearing 'Kisaragi-san' over and over again over here."

"Everyone's been talking about this "White Lily" or whatever, but now that I know it's you, things will die down pretty fast. Anyways, that's beside the point. Watashi no namae wa Zack Fair desu. _Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" _

Zack held out a hand for her to shake and Yuffie accepted, smiling warmly towards him

"Nice to meet you too Zack."

He nodded his head and then grinned, pointing at Vincent with his thumb. "And if you're wondering, that guy over there's Vincent Valentine but you can call him '_**Vivi**_' if you want." Laughing afterwards, Zack looks away from his friend and starts to hum another innocent-seeming tune.

Vincent stared at Zack blankly, then at Yuffie whose lips were trying to conceal a smile, and then back to Zack. He shook his head at him and sighed again. "Where the hell do you come up with names Zack…?"

"I dunno buddy, they just _**come**_ to me…"

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"It does to me."

"Well, your 'sense' is different from _**'our'**_ sense!"

"Dude, what are you talking about?"

"I have no clue…."

Yuffie giggled at their ridiculous banter and took this chance to study Vincent as he tried to get a straight answer from Zack. She took in his long dark hair, those crimson eyes and grimacing lips and decided that he was going to be fun to annoy, especially after witnessing his reaction when she had first bumped into him. Or should she say when _**he**_ bumped into her. She giggled secretively and covered her mouth to suppress them.

"So, grumpy person has a name does he? Vivi? How…original…" She exclaims with a light laugh, her eyes brightening at Vincent's vehement look.

"My name's…not….VIVI!!!" Vincent replies angrily through gritted teeth as he glares at both Zack and Yuffie with narrowed eyes. Zack chuckled at his expression and just shook his head, turning to Yuffie as he said, "Don't mind him. He's in denial."

'_Denial!?!? ARGHH!!'_ As the furious thought ran through his mind, Vincent takes a threatening step towards Zack whose eyes widened slightly. He lifted up his hands quickly and then said,

"Jeez man, can't take a joke can you?"

"Apparently not." Aeris says with an amused smile.

"Don't tell me you're enjoying this Aeris…" Vincent looks at her with tired eyes, knowing that that was fully the case.

"No, of course not Vincent! It's not that I'm enjoying watching Zack making up names for you and Yuffie saying that you actually _**had**_ a name, it's just that…" She paused, a thoughtful look appearing on her face as she placed a finger on her cheek. She shook her head then and looked back to Vincent, now smiling apologetically.

"No…wait, never mind. I think those were the wrong reasons for the wrong thing…"

Vincent rolled his eyes as he arched an eyebrow at his usually sweet friend. _'Zack's rubbing off on her…'_ The loose thought flew through his mind.

"Anyways," Aeris giggled, casting a glance to Yuffie, "Have you seen Tifa anywhere? You know around this tall, with dark brown hair and wine coloured eyes?" She paused, gesturing with comical hands what she was trying to describe. For Tifa's height, Aeris raised a hand a little higher than her own head and then for her hair colour, pointed to her own hair for length and then pulled on Zack's hair for colour though it did cause a level of annoyance to enter the atmosphere as Zack pulled away, rubbing the part were she had pulled on.

"Great description." He drawled sarcastically, eying her warily now. Aeris ignored him and carried on with her many descriptions of her best friend.

"She likes roses, marshmallows, video games, shopping, Fallout Boy, manga, music and videos. Her favorite colours are red, white and silver. She likes to cook in her spare time….hmm…ramen…" This went on for a few more minutes until Yuffie finally sighed and stepped forward to stop Aeris from going on and on about Tifa's likes, dislikes and the things she does in her spare time.

"It's ok Aeris. I know who she is. And yeah, I've seen her."

"Really? Oh, and did you happen to see her with a tall blond guy with spiky hair with her? Cloud?" Aeris asks curiously, wanting to know whether the two were still together.

"Cloud? Spiky hair…Oh! You mean _**Chocobo head**_? Yeah, I remember him too! He's pretty grumpy isn't he?" Yuffie exclaims in obvious delight as she starts to bounce on the balls of her feet. Standing still had never seemed to agree with her abnormally high energy level. Zack laughed at Cloud's nickname and muttered to himself to tell his friend that the next time he saw him.

"Uh…yeah. He's happens to be the new guy here and Tifa's bringing him around the school." Aeris says with a merry glint in her emerald eyes. "So, have you seen them anywhere?"

Yuffie nodded her head and grinned, "Yep, I saw them on my way here." A slyness entered her voice as she continued to say, "But are you sure he's new? 'Cause they seemed pretty close to each other just then."

Vincent raised a suspicious eyebrow at her and said, "What are you talking about Kisaragi?"

"Oh," She looks over to him, smiling a secretive grin. "Nothing. Just thinking out loud." _He looks kind of pissed…I wonder why?_

He shook his head, not feeling up to playing games with this childish seeming girl. He had better things to do during his personal time, like finding out where Tifa and Cloud were. "Never mind, just tell me where they went."

Yuffie smirked and stuck her tongue out at him. "Nuh uh! I'm not telling you!"

"Why not?" Vincent exclaims, trying to control his composure though he was miffed by the rude gesture. Who the heck did she think he was? He was powerful enough, both inside and out of the school, to make her life a living hell. Thus the many benefits of having the fortune of being born under the name "Valentine".

Yuffie grinned and started bouncing on the balls of her feet again. "Because…you're not asking very nicely."

"What? What's that supposed to mean?"

Zack couldn't help but shake his head and spoke up, explaining to Vincent, "Manners Vivi, manners. I think she wants you to say _**please**_." Vincent gaped at Zack and then looked back at Yuffie who nodded her head in concurrence.

_Please? _Vincent thinks in his head tepidly, not sure if he even wanted to consider the thought of him having to say please to someone the likes of Yuffie. God, when was the last time he had said 'please'? Like 10 years ago? And to who? "Mostly likely someone more important than her…" He mutters quietly so that she couldn't hear him.

"What did you say?" Yuffie's sharp ears had picked up some parts of his incoherent muttering and had stirred the curiosity inside of her. He looked over to her again and then shook his head in denial.

"I didn't say anything." He mutters in reply hastily, amazed at how she had at least caught a hint of his words. "But Yuffie…" He hesitated for a second and then continued, "Will you _**please**_ tell me where they went?"

Her eyes brightened and Yuffie smirked again at his exaggeration. "Pretty please." She adds, folding her arms tightly across her chest.

Vincent's eyes narrowed but he sighed again, complying, "Pretty please…."

"With a cherry on top?" A smile appeared on her pink lips.

He growled and then reluctantly repeated, "Grrr….with a cherry on top…"

"And sprinkles, fudge, whipped cream, marshmallows, gummy bears…and umm….what else?"

"And sprinkles, fudge, whipped cream…AHHH!! Forget about it! I give up!" Vincent threw his hands up in the air rather dramatically and glared at Yuffie who seemed shocked. He relished the look on her face for a second and continued on with saying, "I'm just going to go look for them myself!"

"No! Wait!" Yuffie exclaims, taking a step towards him quickly. Vincent waited and cast a glance at her with suspicious eyes.

"I've had enough of waiting Kisaragi." His cold tone cut through the tension that surrounded Yuffie at that moment. Her eyes widened at the underlying nature as she gazed into his blood-red eyes which stared back at her unflinchingly. The hues of those red orbs intrigued her. What secrets did they hold, for it seemed that Vincent was one of many secrets and shadows.

_I want to get to know you…_

Outwardly, Yuffie pouted and folded her arms rather cutely. "Fine, they were heading towards the front entrance. Happy??"

He sighed and at the same time, Yuffie received two completely different answers. A "No, not really." and a "Do you think they'll still be there?" seemed to confuse her troubled mind. Shaking her head, she turns to Aeris who had asked the question. "I highly doubt it but you could always check the office. They could be there."

Zack shrugged, running a hand through his hair as he said, "Well, then that would be a good place to start looking for them." Aeris looked over to him reluctantly and nodded her head, agreeing with his invoice.

"Well then what are we waiting for?!?" Vincent shouts to the pair of them in a completely different fashion from his usually quiet ways. "Let's go!" He starts to walk off, turning right around the corner. Aeris and Zack looked at each other hastily with similar questioning expressions as Yuffie remained in wonder beside them. They had all realized at the same time Vincent's mistake as his footsteps grew quieter down the corridors. But Yuffie was the first to say what they all secretly knew.

"Isn't the office…" A hesitant smile appeared on her pixie face as she stepped forward and then lifted a finger to point to the left hallway. "That way?"

The other two nodded their head, grins now appearing on their faces as Aeris started to giggle. "Silly Vincent…I would've thought he'd have known where the office was by now."

"Dude…that's seriously the wrong way…" Zack muttered to himself quietly with a smirk on his face. This only goes to show that even Vincent was subjective to dumb moments. Extremely dumb moments that always seemed to related with Tifa.

All three continued on with making fun of their misguided friend but their chatter abruptly stopped as the sound of shoes rapidly clicking on the marble floors reaches their ears. They look back to the last place they had seen Vincent and were barely surprised when he appeared again, his face a mottled red.

"I…I went the wrong way…." He sighs involuntarily, hanging his head down in self-depreciation.

"We've noticed Vivi…" Yuffie exclaims with a grin now stuck on her features. This was just too good a chance to pass up to make fun of him. Vincent's eyes flashed in her direction and he straightened his posture. Walking at a much faster pace now, Vincent quickly crosses the length of the hall and disappears yet again around the corner without not as much a glance back to his two other friends. Yuffie pouted again and on a whim, decided to follow after him. Turning 'round the corner, Yuffie also soon disappears.

"I feel so ignored." Aeris claims, folding her arms as she watched the exchange. Zack rolled his eyes, knowing that Aeris did like to be the center of attention most of the time. "They abandoned us…"

"Uh huh. Sure. Come on Aeris. Let's go and follow them before Yuffie finally gets to Vincent."

Aeris looked up to him and furrowed her eyebrows together as she considered a new thought that had just popped up in her mind. "You don't think…?"

"Think what?" Zack asks in reply, raising one eyebrow at her as they start to walk.

"Yuffie…from what just happened…is it possible that she's starting to like him?"

"Sure, of course not. Who wouldn't?" Zack says nonchalantly with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Aeris questions pointedly, noting his words.

"I dunno. What did you think it meant?" He winks at her afterwards and smirks. "Do you think I'm interested in her? Or more importantly, are you jealous?" Aeris' eyes widen considerably at the possibility of her being jealous after a few meager words.

"Psh! Me? Jealous? Why should I be jealous?" She replies in a sharp voice, denying all charges lay against her. "Who do you think you are accusing me of being jealo-!"

"Ahh, give me a break. I was just kidding around with you! Can't you take a joke? God…" He mutters as he turns the corner, putting his hands behind his head in a slack manner.

"Kidding?" Aeris mutters under her breath in a huff. "He should know all about that shouldn't he? After he "kidded" around with me…he should…" A sad look entered her eyes as she followed, her tired shadow copying the hunched shoulders and the wavy hair that swayed gently behind her back. _After he broke my heart…after he played around with my feelings…of course I can take a joke…as long as the joke's not on me…_

**A/N**: Ha! Finally I finished this chapter! After how many weeks of total writer's block, I'm finally done! Yay! And yeah, it was kind of obvious that Tifa was going to say "yes" and all... P... R&R please! Also, I'm very sorry for not having a lot of fluff right now or drama but I plan on making this a very, very long story so please bear with me! Conflicts will occur!! Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	7. Their Promise

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own these characters, though I wish I did. XD

If Only You Knew

Chapter Seven: Their Promise

_**Pant, pant…**_

"Damn it….Tifa…Can't you slow down for one…second?" Cloud wiped off imaginary sweat from his brow and doubled over, gasping hard as he tries to catch his breath. He rested a supporting hand on his bent knees, his struggle for oxygen leaving no room for wasted breaths. "I'm….disabled….for the….time-being….you know!"

Eying the cast, Tifa's expression took on a concerned look as she finally slowed down. She turned around and leaned forward, peering at the cast with narrowed eyes. "Yeah, I noticed. What did you do exactly?" She straightened up and looked him straight in the eyes, folding her arms as she waits for an answer. Cloud though, lowered his eyes as red dusted his cheeks. He shuffled his feet for a bit and then sighed, looking back up to her.

"Heh…well there was this little 'run-in' with fan girls you see…" He broke off, shuddering at the reminder and then continued, "And I kind of got chased, along with Vincent and Zack, and then there was this dead-end and Zack wouldn't open the goddamn door…." He finally trailed off, gritting his teeth as he remembered Zack's sly move.

"Oh." was all Tifa said, coolly pushing a loose piece of hair from her eyes. She stared at the cast and then reached a hand towards it. Hesitation entered her wine orbs as she jerked her hand back before touching the surface of the white burden. "Does…does it still hurt?"

He shook his head, straightening up from his slumped position as he flashed in her direction a bold smile. "A little, but I'll live."

Tifa scoffed at the nerve of him and then pointed up ahead to the opening of a large room. "The office's right over there. The faster we get there, the quicker we can find your dorm." She started to walk more briskly, causing Cloud to groan at the length of distance he had to walk.

"Great… Just what I need! More walking!!" He complains, making a sour face in the direction of the office. Tifa laughed at him over her shoulder and shook her head in obvious delight. Cloud did seem to have those comical moments at times. They continued on their way, Cloud walking faster for fear that Tifa would leave him behind again which was something he'd rather not repeat. He had almost lost his way just then and he thanked sheer luck for leading him back to Tifa when he had thought she had disappeared.

Upon entering the room, bright lights temporarily blinded Cloud who had to lift a hand to cover his eyes. Blinking to adjust his eyes to its glare, Cloud looked around the room with interest. Like the rest of the school, there was the ever-present marble stone, and tapestries hung on every wall with the insignia of St. Michael's sword.

"Wow..."

With his mouth slightly ajar in surprise, he did a 360 to stare at each and every feature. He had never told anyone of his plans for the future. No one knew about his secret desire to become an architect. He hadn't been able to pursue his dream since his old school did not hold the classes he needed to apply for an internship but just seeing this room inspired him with many ideas for future buildings. Hopeful this school would broaden his constricted horizons. Imagination alone would suffice how long and how much time and money this certain chamber had taken to create. Above their heads, Cloud looked up at the giant dome-like ceiling which could have rivaled that of the Sistine Chapel's and saw that the source of all the light was emitting from a pristine chandelier that hung from the top.

Tifa smiled softly as she noticed the stunned look on Cloud's face. Following his eyes up to the chandelier, Tifa felt the twinge in her heart that was ever-present whenever she stared up at the looming structure. It had been a long time since she had gazed up at its sparkling crystalline brilliance. She had been here before, before she had even enrolled at Lotus Academy two months ago, before St. Michael's had even decided to merge with the all-girls school, she had been here. Her Papa had brought her here before. Years before his death, when she was almost half her age now, he had brought her here to see how his best friend's cousin was running this school. The memories all seemed so vague to her though, like a faint dream.

"Tifa? Hello? Can you hear me?"

She blinked and then looked in front of her to see Cloud with an annoyed look on his face. "What?"

"I'll take that as a yes." Cloud mutters in reply, shaking his head. "So, shall we go now?"

Tifa nodded her head, finally taking in her bearings again. "Yeah. Let me just take a quick look inside his office okay? It'll only take a sec." She hurried forward, passing Cloud, and opened a large mahogany door that stood alone at the back of the room. She sent him a wink before walking into the room and closing the door behind her quietly.

"Now…" She mutters, walking towards the large desk that was stacked with piles of paper. "Where could Cloud's files be?"

**In the meantime…**

Cloud, alone and outwardly exhausted, in the large hall was leaning against the door frame, waiting for Tifa to re-appear. Suddenly, he felt that the hall had become overwhelmingly larger and more ominous without Tifa by his side. Did the loss of her presence really affect him _**that**_ much? For the little time he had gotten to know her, she seemed the type of person who was trustworthy and entirely honest. Usually, he would stay away from people like her because to him, in the beginning, they only _**seemed**_ to be what he thought they were. 'Seemed' being the key word in that sentence. But with Tifa, it was different. How? He had no answer to his own silent question. Folding his arms loosely across his chest, Cloud looked down at his shoes and studied each and every tiny detail there was to them. "One shoelace, two shoelaces, three shoelaces…"

"God, you must be bored Strife. Counting shoelaces? Talk about the lamest thing ever."

Cloud's head jerked up at the voice, nearly giving himself an undeserved case of severe whiplash. Zack and Aeris were standing right in front of him, his pink-clothed crush with an annoyed look on her face while Zack was just grinning like an idiot at him, pointing at his own shoes.

"Want to count my shoelaces too?"

Cloud made a sour face and straightened up, his cheeks starting to stain red again. He couldn't believe that she had been standing right there when he had entered his "jaded" state about shudder…shoelaces. Who knew what had been going through his mind at that point? Actually…wait…did he really want himself to answer that? Cloud groaned. Now he was confusing himself.

_For heaven's sake_… The thought ran through his weary mind. "Ha ha, very funny Zack. What are you guys doing here anyways?"

His question seemed to trigger something for both Aeris and Zack simultaneously looked at each other. And instead of answering his question, Aeris asked in return, "Wait, you haven't seen Vincent yet have you?" Cloud shook his head wondering what might have happened while he and Tifa were gone.

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"Why that little-!" Aeris started in a furious voice, her eyes narrowing as she glared up at Zack. "They're not even here!"

Cloud was slightly taken aback by Aeris' display of swear words that followed after her initial exclamation. He hadn't even known that such an angel could know and use that kind of vocabulary. It seemed to him that he didn't know much about Aeris as far as first impressions.

"Calm down Aeris, will you? I'm sure Vivi will turn up any second now. I mean, it's not like him to get lost at the school he's been attending for the past three years right?" Zack injected, trying to sound helpful. But then a wicked look entered his dark violet eyes as a grin spread across his tanned face. "Anyways, he has Yuffie there to help him."

"Yuffie? Vivi??" Cloud asked in confusion. 'Yuffie' seemed familiar to him….but Vivi? Wasn't Yuffie the girl he and Tifa had met just now? The irritating girl who had annoyed him so much? He couldn't imagine Vincent out of all people having her by his side. It just seemed…weird for lack of a better word.

"Yeah, you met her right? She was the one who told us where you guys were." Aeris explained in a calmer voice, her tone more level than it had been before.

"Yeah… I remember her." A guilty expression flitted across his face for a moment which aroused the girl's curiosity for a second. He remembered how short-tempered he had been before and how he had snapped at her.

Suddenly, they hear a loud crash in the hallway to their right which was later then accompanied by shouting voices.

"I told you to stop following me!!!" A familiar voice rang through the air.

"I'm not following you, you jerk! You just happen to be going to same way I am!!" A girl's voice cried out in defense.

"Psh! Same way my ass!"

"What's your ass got to do with it Vivi!!" The girl's voice started getting angry.

"Don't call me that you idiot! I told you, that's not my name!"

"Who are you calling an idiot, you Neanderthal!"

"Why you-!!!"

Two figures stumbled into the hall, their eyes locked on each other as the deafening conflict ensued.

Zack squinted at the couple and then lifted a hand to his head to narrow his vision. He caught sight of long black hair and grinned, albeit being a little bit more than surprised. "Hey…wait a minute isn't that…"

"For goodness sake Yuffie, shut up!!!" Vincent exclaimed loudly, his crimson eyes narrowing as the two approached the small group of friends. Once laying eyes upon Cloud though, Vincent turned away from Yuffie and then focused his attention on his childhood friend.

"Where's Tifa?" He asks, his eyes flashing with a deep irritation. Cloud was taken aback by his actions. Never had he seen his friend show his emotions so strongly yet a spark of curiosity unfolded inside of him. Why did it always seem that Vincent had these bursts of emotion whenever it concerned girls, or more specifically, Tifa and Yuffie.

"Whoa….Vincent….that was you??" Aeris questions with a wide-eyed expression, interrupting Cloud's deep thoughts, as she looked the tall man up and down. She was also surprised by the way he was acting. He was usually the strong, silent type…wasn't he? At least that's what she had thought for all these years.

"Who else would talk to this little pest?" Vincent replied scathingly with a glare in the "pest's" direction.

"Hey!!" Yuffie retaliated before the creaking of a door announced the arrival of yet another person from behind Cloud's back.

"Cloud, why is it so loud out here?" Tifa inquires, brushing a slack strand of hair from her face as she reappeared from the office with a few loose papers and a beige-colored folder with the school's insignia on the cover. She smiled as she saw the others and then waved in greeting.

"Hey, when'd you guys get here?"

"Just now." Vincent answered in a curt voice, quickly averting his gaze as he now starts to study the tapestries hanging on the walls adjacent.

"Really?" Tifa replies, vaguely aware of Vincent's sudden reclusion as she moves forward to stand beside Cloud on his left, her shoulder lightly brushing against the top of his arm. Cloud, noticing the unintentional contact, moved to his left but then found himself nearly falling over Aeris who had moved there without him knowing. Somehow he had eventually become sandwiched in between the two girls as the group of friends formed a type of circular gathering. On the other side of Aeris were Zack, then Yuffie, and then Vincent who was standing beside Tifa.

"Well, Cloud and I just came here a few minutes ago as well. Cid- oops, I mean, _Headmaster_, told me to get his schedule and papers for him." Tifa explains in a light voice, her eyes scanning the papers in her hands in case she missed retrieving anything. She looked up and winked at Zack who returned the wink with a laugh of his own. Cloud looked at the both of them and furrowed his eyebrows. Tifa and Zack….? Were they…? His eyes dilated at the revelation that had just dawned upon him. How could he have been so dense? They were-!

"Here you go Cloud." White flashed across his vision as he finds himself staring down at papers and the same folder he had seen Tifa holding. He followed the hands that held the offering along to arms and then the smiling face of said girl. "Come on, take it!" She goaded, holding it up higher in his face.

"Oh...thanks." He mutters, accepting the load and then tucking them under his arm.

"You're welcome." A bright grin beamed his way as he looked back up.

"Well then, since that's settled, why don't we all go back to our rooms?" Zack suggests. "I'm getting hungry."

"Is food all you ever think of Zack?" Aeris quipped good-naturedly.

"What are you implying?" He replied in return with an arched brow, already turning around.

"Nothing." Aeris said simply, shrugging her delicately clothed shoulders as she turned to leave.

"Wait you guys! I have something else to tell you!" Tifa interrupts, holding a hand up to stop them from leaving. She grinned secretly to herself and then said, "Aren't you going to greet your two new roommates?"

"What?" Vincent questions, confusion written across his face. Tifa could see the same look on everyone else's as well.

"Cloud and Yuffie. Aren't you going to greet them?"

"Didn't we already pass that stage?" Zack said, his tone obviously questioning her memory as Aeris pondered on Tifa's meaning.

"So you're saying that our new roommates are…! Oh!" A beam quickly spread across her open face.

Tifa watched in amusement as they finally put two and two together. And then shouts of enthusiasm and laughter erupted in the hall, echoing on the ivory walls as the group spoke their excitement for the two newcomers joining their ranks.

"Really? That's great!"

"Awesome!"

"Actually…" Vincent spoke softly, his voice as cold as ice, as an uneasy silence fell upon the chatter. It almost seemed as if they were outside, standing in the chilly wind as the atmosphere abruptly turned frigid. "I kind of pity you…"

Cloud's eyes grew wide at Vincent's words. What was he talking about? Pity? Him? Did he mean…

_About my scholarship…? Does it have something to do with that? _Cloud thinks slowly, wondering if that was what Vincent was referring to. He had never thought that Vincent, the only friend that he had a long history with, would be so judgmental of how he had been accepted into the school, or maybe even his group of friends.

"What do you mea-" He started to ask but someone else had beaten him to it.

"What is that supposed to mean Vincent?" Tifa said with a flare in her eyes as a stunned look replaced the joyous one on her face.

Vincent looked from between their faces and then he loudly cleared his throat.

"It seems you took my statement the wrong way. What I meant to say," Vincent said coolly, "Was that I pity you for having to have to live with Zack here." He nudged his chin in said person's direction and then continued, "It's a very sad situation really. Believe me; I've lived with him long enough. You could say that I have earned the right to say at least that much."

Zack himself laughed at Vincent who just rolled his eyes at him. "Ha, I can't be that bad Vincent! Or else you would've transferred out of here _**years**_ ago!"

"Only sheer determination and tenacity keep me from choosing that method Zack." Vincent said with a heavy sigh which turned out so comical that Yuffie couldn't help but grin at his forlorn expression. Vincent looked up to see the wide smile and then a scowl her way to show his irritation. Tifa smiled ever so slightly as she looked between Vincent and Yuffie, already guessing what had begun to blossom between the two. Her hope was that Vincent would be able to let go of their memories together though she herself, no matter how much she denied it, was still having problems with. It was hard to let go, extremely hard. But she knew deep in her heart that they were not meant to be. They had not been able to survive the obstacles that had blocked their way years ago, so she saw no point. If it had happened in the past, it would most likely reoccur in the future if they ever got back together. Sadness touched her wine-coloured orbs and Vincent looked away from Yuffie to stare at Tifa unblinkingly. She returned his questioning gaze for a fraction of a second and then looked away, now trying to give the impression that she was deeply engrossed in the tapestry hanging right over his head. After a few seconds, she glanced downwards and noticed that he was now paying attention to something that Zack was so loudly talking about. She breathed a sigh of relief and then cast a fleeting look at Cloud who looked pensive. A thought presented itself to her as she caught him looking at Aeris who was politely avoiding eye contact.

_Does she know that she's attracted another man to her side? _Tifa thought bitterly, biting on her lower lip as she watched the exchange, or rather, lack there of. She stopped herself from continuing this destructive line of thought. She had gone through that phase already and knew that her friend never intentionally meant for these kinds of things to happen. Tifa also knew for a secret fact Aeris' love for the ever-oblivious idiot, Zack.

"I have no idea what she sees in him." Tifa lamented with a shake of her head.

"Sees in whom?" Cloud asked, looking away from Aeris.

Tifa cringed at being overheard and then waved offhandedly to brush off his curiosity. "Uh, nothing! Sees in nobody! Nothing, nobody! You never heard anything!!!"

Cloud raised an eyebrow at her; he could obviously tell that she was lying…and that she was starting to confuse herself. "Okay..."

"Oh…Cloud, there's…I…Remember…before?" Her voice was hushed and low as she and Cloud away from the group. He nodded his head which only seemed to make Tifa hesitate further.

"I have a condition." There, it was out. Now Cloud furrowed his brows together and then nodded his head again. He knew that it as only fair for her to get something else in return for helping him. He just hoped it wouldn't be something like running around the school naked or something though he had the sneaking suspicion that only Yuffie would ask of something like that.

"I'm listening." Cloud said, a small smile playing on his lips as he entertains the mental note of never asking Yuffie for a favor. "What is it that you want me to do?"

"Not exactly do…" Her confidence was starting to run low again, but she couldn't just leave things like this. She knew that she was already developing feelings for him. The simple fact was hard to deny since every time she got close to him, her heart would beat at an irregular fast pace. That's why she had to ask this of him. Of course, he would think that she was only asking this as to protect Aeris feelings, but, what she was going to ask seemed to concern hers just as well.

"…?" Surprised, Cloud now started thinking about the possibilitities of what she was going to ask him to _**not**_ to do.

"I mean…It's more like a promise really. I, I want you to promise something to me…Will you?"

"Depends…What do I have to promise?"

"I want you to promise that…that…" Her voice seemed to stall in her throat as nervousness filled her. "Will you promise me that you won't _fall in love_ with someone else?" She spoke so softly and quickly that Cloud had to lean in closer to hear her words and in turn, his closeness seemed to set all of her senses wild.

"W-wait…who said anything about love?" Cloud stuttered, his eyes dilating as his face turns a cherry red.

"Cloud…" She could personally understand his reluctance to reveal that aspect of his life but sometimes, people just had to face up to things, like she was now.

"Why are you asking this…?" He pulled away from her bubble of personal space that had one too often been invaded and Tifa relaxed though she was still visibly tense.

Tifa had been waiting for this and now that he was a breathable distance away from her, she could think clearly. "Because, Cloud, I don't was Aeris to get hurt…" She refrained from adding an 'again' to the end of that sentence. Somehow it didn't seem a sensible idea to let Cloud know about Aeris and Zack's previous relationship with each other.

The prospect of pain ever marking Aeris' face was enough to turn around his indecision. "I would never hurt her."

"Then, will you promise me this?" Tifa asked.

"I promise." Cloud's reply hung in the air between them as Tifa's heart seemed to compress at the pressure of all the feelings she was experiencing at that moment. In reality, her reason for asking this was that she wouldn't have to go through the heartache of seeing him with another girl. If it was Aeris…she could bear through it. If it was Aeris…

"Let's pinky swear then." She suggested numbly afterwards.

Cloud's face appeared dubious at her proposal and he voiced his objection. "Pinky swear? Isn't that…for kids?"

Tifa permitted herself to give him an indulging smile. "Would you rather seal it in blood then? I can ask for a knife."

"……"

"Then give me your pinky." She held out her own as she waited for him to raise his. Cloud stared down at it hesitantly and then looked over to where their preoccupied friends, and the girl he was making this promise for, were. Then he sighed and extended his pinky towards Tifa. It seemed to him that this whole day was just full of sighing. Tifa herself hadn't expected Cloud to give in so quickly but she couldn't really complain about that, could she? Giving another smile which hid her deepest emotions, Tifa twisted her pinky around Cloud's and squeezed.

"Pinky swear?"

Cloud looked towards the group again and then back at Tifa. "Pinky swear."

There was another silence that followed but it was broken by Yuffie's voice, calling Cloud over. Cloud and Tifa swiftly pulled back their pinkies and allowed their arms to return to their respective side. Cloud bowed his head apologetically and then walked back to the group. Tifa watched his retreating back and then took a step forward to follow. But that one step was shaky as suddenly her world turned black. Panic rose up in her chest as nothing changed when she blinked her eyes. _What? WHAT?!?! A blackout!_

She took another unsteady step, now starting to feel dizzy. Her breaths started getting harsher, her head swinging in different directions.

"Tifa? Are you okay?" Aeris' voice seemed to come from the left of her, not a long ways off.

Tifa turned abruptly in the darkness, seeking out the source of his voice but faintness suddenly overcame her and she tripped over her own feet. She started to fall to the floor like a limp doll but somehow, someone's warm arms were wrapped around her body and keeping her up.

_Who is it?_

She blinked her eyes and after a few moments, eventually the darkness subsided. She looked up to see the face of the person whose arms were holding her so delicately, as if she was a fragile object.

**A/N:** Read & Review please :D


	8. Close to You

Disclaimer: The plotline is all mine and though I wish (quite frequently) that the FFVII characters were mine too, they're not… :P

**If Only You Knew**

Chapter Eight: Close to You

"Tifa…Tifa!" Vincent shouted as he shook her in his arms, his eyes wide. His heart was pounding from the sheer panic that had exploded within him when he had seen her start to fall. He had run to her, quickly grabbing her before she hit the floor. Her dark hair framed her suddenly pale face and as his eyes swept across her face, he saw them slowly flicker open.

"Vincent?" A soft whisper emitted from her rose lips. She blinked again and then gradually pushed his arms away from her sides. She shook her head at him and just stood there looking around, obviously still a little dazed from the blackout. Vincent took a careful step back, temporarily stung by her quick rejection.

"I saw you fall…" He mutters, lowering his head as they avert both their eyes from each other. Silence fell upon them as Aeris rushed to Tifa's side, holding tightly onto her best friend's arm.

"Are you okay Tifa?!" Aeris cries out, concern dominating her face as relief flitted across it. Tifa turned her attention to the brunette and saw that Aeris seemed more concerned about her than Tifa was about herself.

"I-I'm fine….just a little shaky." A small pause. "This must be my payback for the mid-terms… some late night cramming is catching up to me." Tifa smiled weakly, attempting to crack a joke. But obviously, no one was laughing. In fact, there was such a serious atmosphere now that Tifa wondered if someone had just died. Not her, thank God.

"Not funny Teef." Zack mutters under his breath, shaking his head at her though Tifa could see the shadow of apprehension present in his eyes.

The smile fell from her face as Tifa said, "Really…I'm fine. Is that so hard to believe?"

Yuffie actually nodded her head cheekily at that remark but Vincent, who had moved quite a distance away now, knocked the shorter girl in the head.

"Baka…" He whispers quietly, his lips barely moving as Yuffie rubs her head, glaring all the while at the inflictor of the pain.

Tifa couldn't help but fell enlightened by this display and she straightened away from Aeris, backing up a few steps. She hit into something hard behind her and turned around. Cloud was there, with his arms outstretched towards her, just standing there, frozen like a statue. Had he moved forward to catch her too? The question was in her eyes.

Cloud became aware of Tifa's gaze on him and immediately lowered his arms, his gaze dropping to the floor. His heart had nearly stopped when he had noticed her shaky steps. She had fallen oh so slowly in his mind's eye…he had seen her in the act of falling to the ground and had reached towards her, an unfound desire quickly overwhelming him. He wanted to catch her, wanted to _**save**_ her. He didn't want a single strand of her hair to even _brush_ its silky length across the ground. He had meant to catch her in his arms but instead, someone else had caught her in his.

_Vincent…_ The name was hissed with such utter contempt in his mind. Cloud himself was taken aback by the strong reaction that had burst out from within him. It didn't make sense. It wasn't logical. His 100 perfect girl was Aeris. Yet why was he so devastated that Tifa had ended up in someone else's arms?

"Tifa…" Vincent whispered softly, her name rolling off his bottom lip. Tifa felt a small shiver run up her spine. She purposely ignored him, still staring at Cloud though the man in front of her seemed to become more and more unaware of her presence.

"Tifa…" Vincent tried again. She was doing this on purpose. He just knew it. He could see from the tensed-up shoulders and her shifting feet that she was pretending not to hear him. He had expected this kind of reaction but still, it seemed to slash at the seams that were keeping his precarious heart together. Why was it like this? Again, a wave of regret and sorrow filled him. Why? Losing the will to plead for Tifa's attention, Vincent turned away and said, "We better head up to our rooms now…or else a certain someone will starve to death." He tilted his head ever so slightly in Zack's direction.

"HEY! That's not tr-!" GRUMBLE… Zack was interrupted by the belligerent complaints that arose from his stomach. Silence pressed for a second and then Tifa started to giggle, a light sound that relieved the tension.

"Your stomach seems to disagree with you, BB." Tifa snorted.

"Shut up Teef…" Zack replied though a sheepish smile gave away his discomfort. "Let's just go up, okay?"

"Okay, grumpy." Tifa grinned toothily, grabbing onto Zack's arm. She pulled him forward and started to walk off with Zack who just sighed. If Tifa had the strength to make jokes _**and**_ pull him, she must be alright.

"We'll see you upstairs!" Tifa called out.

"Hey! Tifa! Are you sure you're-!" Aeris started, still worried.

Tifa looked back and winked. "Don't worry!"

"It's okay Aeris, she's with me! I'll take care of her. Anyways, last one there is a rotten egg!" Zack joked, trying to reassure the pouting girl who was now left behind with Cloud, Vincent and Yuffie. Tifa and Zack disappeared around a corner and the small group they had left in their wake just stood there, unimpressed.

"I'm still worried." The brunette glowered and then turned to Vincent. "Well, you heard them."

"Hmmm?" Vincent looked on with a blank stare.

Aeris proceeded with putting two delicate fists on her hips. "They said that the last one there is a rotten egg!" Mischief glittered in her eyes. "I'll go with Yuffie and you'll take Cloud! See you upstairs, Vincent!"

And with that, Aeris grabbed into Yuffie's hand and started to run out of the hall. Yuffie stumbled after and as the two girls ran away, Cloud and Vincent could hear Yuffie shouting, "You could've _**told**_ me before pulling off my arm!"

An amused smile appeared on Vincent's face as he chuckled at the noise the younger girl was making. Cloud glanced at Vincent, an amused look also on his face though for a different reason. Vincent noticed the look and then the smile turned into a frown.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Vincent demanded, immediately turned guarded.

Cloud shrugged. "No reason." He replied nonchalantly. He looked around vacantly and then said, "Hey, ummm, so are we gonna go 'upstairs' or what? Because seriously, I don't want to be thought of as a rotten egg on my first day here."

Vincent quietly laughed at the lame joke and nodded his assent. "Yeah, I guess we better get going. Follow me, Cloud. Oh, and make sure not to run into any doors, will you?"

"HEY! That wasn't my fault!"

"Sure, of course it wasn't." Vincent retorted, walking away.

"It wasn't!" Cloud followed, all the while scowling in indignation.

"Uh huh…I believe you…" Vincent trailed off as he began to plot a bee-line to the nearest elevator in his mind.

**5 minutes later…**

Vincent and Cloud were heading upwards in an elevator that was lined with plush sides and a carpeted bottom.

_More like a goddamn box, hanging 50 feet in the air with two thin wires pulling it up and down. Not to mention that it's moving at the speed of a dying turtle… _Cloud think, deranged for the time being. He had never liked closed spaces, especially the confined area of an elevator. It all reminded him of the time when he had been playing hide-and-seek with his mom. He had hidden in the closet in his older brother's room. He had waited for what seemed like hours and hours and soon grew tired of waiting. The younger Cloud had tried to open the closet door but the lock wouldn't budge. A long story short, he now had an uncomfortable, almost anxious feeling whenever he stepped into a small, closed off area. Like this elevator.

"You okay there, Cloud?" Vincent asked out of the blue when he noticed his friend's abrupt uneasiness. He was looking a bit claustrophobic actually. Cloud swallowed loudly and gripped the ornate handlebar that was biting into his back. He nodded his head slowly, his eyes shiftily moving around the elevator as it continued to move upwards.

**DING**

Cloud's eyes flickered open. Finally! It had taken about five minutes to reach their desired floor.

_I mean, really? How long does it have to take? _Cloud thought rather grumpily as the elevator doors slid open for its two passengers within.

"Here we are! The top floor of our esteemed school!" Vincent introduced in a proud voice, walking out of the elevator. Cloud stepped out unsteadily and almost felt his knee give way beneath him but he managed to steady himself before Vincent turned around to face him.

"Yeah, great…" Cloud said, trying to sound excited or something of the like while in essence, he was just trying to concentrate on not hyperventilating. Vincent frowned slightly at this. His friend didn't seem impressed by the most decorated floor of the entire school.

_What is there not to like? _Vincent thought to himself. There was a plush flooring, ivory door handles, golden candelabras, famous paintings by DaVinci and Picasso on the walls….what was there not to like?

_This doesn't feel very…"home-like"..._ Cloud thought callously though somewhat at a loss for words. Why, the very moment he had taken a look around, he knew that this entire floor was probably one of the best (and most expensive) places on earth that money could buy. And yet, it didn't make the extravagantly exaggerated type of impression he had expected it to make. He was sure other people would be bouncing off the walls at the chance of getting to live in such a wonderful place but him…? That just goes to show that he wasn't like most people….a depressing thought at times. Cloud snapped out of his thoughts and ran forward to catch up with Vincent who had begun to walk away from the distracted boy.

"Where are we going now?" asked Cloud inquisitively, the priceless artifacts and valuables that were positioned in the hall capturing his attention every now and then. He swore on his life that if he hadn't known that this entire floor was full of dorm rooms, he would've mistook it for a high-class museum. Seriously.

"Our dorm, your room. Since Zack is hungry," Cloud's stomach grumbled at that point. Vincent coughed with a backwards glance, "Ahem…I mean, since _quite a few of us_ are hungry, I presume we'll be having dinner quite soon and that we'll have to go and change out of our uniforms."

"Ah…yeah, of course." The blonde agreed quickly, nodding his spiked head. He fell silent afterwards and followed Vincent to their dorm room. When they reached a certain point of the hallway where one door stood, Vincent stopped and faced it pensively, his hand rose as if to knock but he withdrew it just an inch from the door's frame. Cloud saw the other boy clench his fist as his side and turn on his heel, continuing down the hallway. Cloud was perplexed. Where did that door lead to? Why had Vincent shown such a somber face just now?

"Uhhh…Vincent? Did we just pass our dorm?" Cloud piped up half a minute later. They had already traveled a good 15 meters away from the questioned door but Cloud had had to gather all of the questions in his mind and compress them all into that one simple, non-demanding one.

"No…that wasn't our dorm entrance." Vincent replied shortly.

"Er…?"

"What I mean is…" Vincent trailed off as Cloud spotted an identical door that looked just the same as the other one up ahead. "That was the girls' dorm room and this," He pointed to the upcoming door. "Is ours."

"Oh…I knew that." Cloud muttered tersely. The two went inside and it was no surprise to Cloud that the inside was just as wonderful (if a little messier) looking as the hall they had been walking for the past few minutes. Cloud had immediately noticed three doors on the opposite facing walls of the room which he presumed lead to each of their personal rooms.

_One of those doors leads to my own room..._ He thinks haggardly. He still couldn't believe that he was here for even the events that he had gone through to just get up to this floor were just plain out of the ordinary situations from his old life. _Right…my __**old **__life… _

"So Cloud, I'll see you in a few okay? I'll meet you outside the door." Vincent called out, entering through the door furthest to the left to get changed. The dark-haired man had already disappeared into his room the moment Cloud had turned around to face him.

"Okay…" Cloud answered to no one in particular, the now empty living room giving off an eerie atmosphere that he personally didn't feel accustomed to. He wondered which door led to his own room though. Vincent had become fairly unhelpful and unresponsive ever since they had passed the girls' dorm. Cloud walked over to the room opposite of Vincent's and pushed open the door. Peeking inside, a strong odour or gym socks filled his senses, nearly overpowering him and causing Cloud to stumble backwards in quick retreat.

"What the…!!!! IT SMELLS SO HORRIBLE IN THERE!" Cloud exclaims, covering his sensitive nose with the sleeve of his jacket. The disgusted man leaned against the back of the sofa which was placed in the center of the pristine living room and squinted to catch a glimpse into the small crack he had managed to open the door to before withdrawing. It was pitch black inside but his keen eyes caught the outlines of clothes strewn across the floor and a sphere-shaped object that looked similar to that of the shape of an orange basketball.

"God…Zack…clean after yourself, will you?" Cloud complained, shutting his eyes wearily. He then took a deep breath in and swiftly reached forward to close the door and stop the ghastly smell from spreading all over the dorm.

"PHEW!" Cloud exhaled, his lungs hungry for fresh air. He cast a suspicious glance across the room at the door in the adjacent wall and then back at Zack's room.

"Well, at least I know which one's my room now…though I did seem to find out the hard way…" His shoulders slumped as he walked to the final door, the presumed doorway that would lead him to his room. Cloud reached the door and stared at it. It just stood there and he sighed. Rolling his shoulders around, he pulled himself up straight and turned the handle to his door.

"Cloud?"

Cloud jumped at the sound of Vincent's deep voice and nearly ended up sprawling across the floor out of alarm.

"V-V-Vincent! Hi! I was just…you know…my room…ahh…" Trailing off, Cloud rubbed his head and started to nervously shuffle his feet. How embarrassing!!!

"Err…yes, ok. I'll meet you outside ok? Don't take too long changing though, or else Zack'll eat everything before we get to the dining room. Oh, one more thing. I'm pretty sure that your bags are in your room too. Just to let you know." Vincent pronounced with a slight smile on his lips, stuffing his hands into the smooth silk pockets of his overcoat. The sophisticatedly dressed man turned away and exited through the main entrance into the dorm.

"Right!" Cloud replied with a hesitant grin. He abruptly turned around and rushed into his room, quickly spotting his bags on the firm bed mattress. Cloud pulled off his worn jacket and flung it on the bed while in the process of opening the zipper of his bags, searching for new clothes to wear. He pulled out a half decent navy blue turtle neck and pulled it over his head, temporarily flattening his spiky locks of hair. He stared down at his pants and sneakers and grimaced. A foul mood came over him as he remembered how Vincent looked like when he had left.

_I really don't have any business being in the designer brand school…_ Cloud thought, sighing yet again as he left his room, constantly tugging at the sleeves of his turtleneck which had suddenly made him feel itchy. He met Vincent outside the entrance and made an attempt of pulling up the ends of his lips but to no apparent avail. Vincent just stared and shook his head.

_What's up with him?_ Cloud rolled his eyes and walked alongside Vincent to the dining room which in reality, as Cloud would soon find out, was more like a dancing hall.

**10 Minutes Later…**

"Here you go, Master Strife. Braised Duck topped by a sweet plum and cranberry sauce and accompanied by a delectable high-priced selection of baked potatoes. Please enjoy your meal and call on me for any of your concerns or comments." The slick-dressed mail servant inclined his head to a startled looking Cloud before backing away to disappear in the shadows. Cloud watched the man go and gulped. _Master Strife? _That title didn't suit him at all! Nor did he like it one bit!

"Cloud? Is your food okay?" A female voice asked to the left of the condescending blonde.

Cloud looked up to see Aeris who was looking at him rather curiously, most likely because he hadn't even bothered to touch his food ever since that man who had brought it had left. "Oh yeah! It's great! I love the duck! Yum! My fave! Ummm…and the potatoes! Wonderful!" He took a big bite of the duck and was chewing rather noisily as the others at the table watched him eat. Tifa was trying not to smile, Zack wasn't even paying attention, Vincent was off in his own world and Yuffie was just looking at him weirdly. What a great way to start of dinner.

"Oh, I'm glad you like the food. Cloud, be careful because the potatoes are still kind of-!" Aeris got cut off immediately before finishing her sentence.

"HOTTT!!!! WATER! WATER!!" Cloud cried out, eyes wide and his mouth open with his tongue sticking out rudely. The suddenly desperate male searched the table for any sign of refreshment and his hands found the glass of sparkling grape juice that had been placed on the table beforehand. Cloud raised the glass to his burning mouth and then proceeded with finishing the glass in two or three huge gulps.

"Ah….ahh….that feels so much better now…" Cloud said in a relieved voice, sitting back down in his chair as he finally realized he had stood up. He also started to realize what he had just done. At the dinner table no less. His face turned a cherry red and he even thought he had felt the roots of his long blonde hair start to turn a slight pink.

"Ummm….Cloud?" He looked up to see Tifa beside him.

_What now?_ He thought despairingly.

"You…you have a little something here." She pointed to her own face at a place just below the right side of her lip.

Cloud tried to copy her actions and wipe whatever had gotten onto his face during the outburst but apparently failed when Tifa began to frown.

"No, no, no…you're wiping on the wrong place. It's still there. Wipe more to the left. Like this." Tifa demonstrated again for Cloud but again, he was just not paying attention.

Sighing in exasperation, Tifa leaned forward, gripping a napkin in her hand as she raised a hand to Cloud's face. His eyes widened immediately and though he started to back away from her, the moment Tifa's hand touched his cheek, he just froze. Warmth filled his entire body and Cloud had to resist the urge to just sit there and close his eyes as she wiped whatever had gotten onto his face. Why did he react like this? And to her touch only? Why? He blinked a few times out of surprise and tried to avoid looking at her lips _**or**_ eyes for he knew (from previous experience) that they were (could) possibly be the downfall of him. He restrained himself as he waited for her to finish but Tifa seemed to be taking her own sweet time.

"Cloud…listen to me very carefully…" She had moved closer and was now softly whispering in his ear. It tickled, her breath smelled sweet again. Cloud again resisted another urge to cringe as he tried to pay more attention to the dark brunette's words.

"Aeris is staring at you pretty weirdly right now but don't worry, so are the rest of us. I'm pretty sure that she finds you quite amusing right now so be charming but please don't get too wacky at the dinner table. I don't want anyone to get hurt…" Tifa continued rather calmly as Cloud felt his heart start to race a bit.

"Y-Y-Yeah…ok. I'll do that. Don't want to look like a fool…ha ha…" He had meant to make his voice sound confident but it kind of, sort of came out a bit…dare a guy say it? Squeakish…

A bright smile appeared on Tifa's lips, one that seemed to brighten the whole room in Cloud's eyes. "Good job." She gave him a thumbs up before moving away from him and returning back to her seat between Vincent and Zack who still was preoccupied with his own food (of which he was almost halfway through).

Cloud's eyes unconsciously followed Tifa's graceful movements back to her seat and he felt himself relax as she sent a wink at him.

_That's right. I have Tifa with me…She'll be there to help me… I know I can depend on her…_

But as Cloud turned his eyes away from Tifa and back to his plate in front of him, the corner of his eyes caught something his mind, filled with polynomial equations and Einstein's formula, could not fully comprehend. Cloud looked back and shook his head. It couldn't have been. His mind was playing tricks on him. He had just thought he had seen Vincent glaring at him with a hateful look as dark as an eclipse. He could've almost felt the rage and loathing in that one look if it hadn't been real.

_That's not possible. We're best buddies…_ Cloud thought though doubt resonated from the dark corners of his mind.

_Right?_

* * *

**_A/N:_** YAY! After how many months? Ever since I think like what? June? July? I feel really bad for not updating this story way sooner :( Sorry to all those people who were waiting on me to finally finish this chapter! Here you go! Hope you like it even though it's a bit shorter than my last few chapters and it may seem a little rushed :P R&R please. 


	9. The Elite Four

Disclaimer: The story is all mine and though I wish (quite frequently) that the FFVII characters were mine too, they're not… :P

If Only You Knew

Chapter Nine: The Elite Four

"Good Morning!! Wake up sleepyheads!" A fist rapped loudly outside Cloud's door. Who was that?

"God?" Cloud groaned drowsily and pulled the sheets over his head. He didn't feel like waking up. He didn't care if he was late for his first day of classes. He-…wait a minute…they couldn't kick him out for missing the first day…could they?

"I'm making myself paranoid again…" grumbled the 21 year old, tossing the sheets to the side. Cloud sat up and started to get up from the bed but ended up getting his feet caught in one of the sheets which resulted in a face-first drop to the hardwood floor.

**CRASH **

"Ohhh…my head…my arm…The pain…" The sling around his arm had made it fairly hard to sleep last night which added to Cloud's rather slow reaction as he slowly stood up from the ground, holding his sprained arm gently in his other hand. Could arms even get "sprained"?

"I'm no doctor but….ah, whatever. As long as it heals..." Scratching his coarse hair, Cloud walked into his own little bathroom to clean himself up. Calling his bathroom "little" though was pushing it from what Cloud could gather. The bathroom was roughly already the size of half his old house. Cloud stared at his tired complexion in the mirror, taking in the red eyes, the ruddy cheeks and chapped lips. Hardly the look a scholarship student huh? But he couldn't help but wonder: was this the person his mother greeted every time in the morning?

_Mum…._ Cloud thought forlornly, turning the tap on in front of him. Water splashed loudly into the sink below as he grabbed his newly opened toothbrush that was standing alone in its holder. An image immediately flashed into Cloud's mind. It was a memory from his old house again but of his…toothbrush holder. Ahh…he and his family had been so close to each other; their tooth brushes had been thrown precariously into the holder and were leaning against each other. They had been so close…yet his brother had left him…and then his mother. What had happened to his family? Cloud picked up the toothbrush, applied mint toothpaste on it and began to brush his teeth. A minute later, he spat the frothy mixture in his mouth and gurgled with more water. He combed his hair (or at least, _**tried**_ to) and rubbed his face with a wet face towel.

"CLOUD!! HURRY UP!" That had to be Zack because there was no way in hell Vincent would be that loud.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Cloud shouted back though he doubted the other person had heard him.

"WE'LL SEE YOU OUTSIDE IN THE HALL! THE UNIFORM'S IN YOUR CLOSET!!" Zack yelled again, now accompanied by a slamming door. Cloud rolled his eyes and stalked out of the bathroom to look for his uniform.

_In the closet…the closet…where's my closet?_ Cloud said, looking around the room for something that even remotely looked like a closet. _I should've looked around before falling asleep last night…_ Cloud thought ruefully, regretting now that he had merely just fallen into his bed the moment he had walked through the door. It had been a really tiring day yesterday. As his eyes scanned the room, an unknown door enters his view and he decided that that had to be the closet. Opening the door, he soon found out that this indeed was his walk-in closet that held not only 6 pairs of the white uniform required for the men but also nearly 20 other neatly organized outfits and accessories.

_Ahh…so this is why they had to take my measurements before coming here... _The amazed man thought while picking out a uniform. Really…rich people….they had it all. Cloud tried it on and stared at himself in the mirror. The person reflected back was him, yet at the same time, not him. A poor pitiable student dressed in high-class, world-renown attire. This was the life huh? He was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt that was nearly hidden underneath the white vest that encircled his body. He tugged at the collar of the elegantly black lined white jacket placed on top and made sure his cardinal red necktie he was now wearing was properly made and held in place by an intricately wrought silver pin. It had taken him quite a while to maneuver his injured arm into the sleeves of both the shirt and the jacket but he managed to do it. Staring satisfyingly at the cuffs of his jacket, he admired the craftsmanship of the silver rose buttons and also the school badge of a winged sword that was attached to a thin chain from his top upper left pocket. His pants were the right length and were a pure ivory tone that reminded the boy of pearls. Cloud stepped out of the walk-in closet, carrying a pair of custom-made, sepia-coloured shoes in his hand that had been smartly been placed to the side in the closet. He also had about two other identical pairs waiting to be used inside the closet. He sat down on his bed and tried them on. Just the right shoe size and comfort level. Trust the expensive shoemakers to make his feet feel special too…

"This makes me wonder…will all of this go to my head?" Cloud asked himself out loud, actually feeling rather important now that he was smartly dressed just like any other prince of England or heir to Starbucks, all of whom was or had once been here in these halls. "I better get going…"

Cloud stepped out of his room and glanced around the empty area. He made his way through the front doors and then saw the others who had been (patiently) waiting outside.

"Why'd you take so long, Chocobo head?" Yuffie exclaimed hot-temperedly, all hyper and hopping in her pristine-looking uniform that seemed to suit her so well. The girls' version of the uniform was not that much different from the boys' except for the fact that instead of a tie, they had a red ribbon around their collar and were wearing white pleated skirts accompanied by white coloured socks.

"I was…busy…" Cloud responded, slightly flustered. "Remember? Arm in sling?" He moved it a little in the restrictive sling.

"Ohhh…right…" Aerith stepped forward, smiling apologetically in Yuffie's stead. They made eye contact and then Cloud looked away, his ears burning. His mind must still be muddled from his early morning fall. "Sorry. Zack," She turned her emerald green eyes to the black-haired grinning man beside her. "Why didn't you help him instead of leaving first? It's your duty to help out all new comers."

"Psah…I was confident that Cloud here could handle himself just fine. Right, Cloud?" Zack remarked calmly, slapping said person hard on the back. Cloud's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets from the force that Zack hard exerted but managed to conceal a pained gasp with a fake cough and a reluctant smile.

"Err…haha, yeah…right." Cloud replied slowly.

"Zack! Can't you see you're making things worse?" Tifa's voice entered his consciousness and all thoughts flew from Cloud's mind. He looked up blankly at the source and saw Tifa shaking her head irritably at Zack who shrugged. She looked back at him and then grinned. "Hey Cloud, I hope you had a good night's sleep last night."

"Y-yeah…I did…thanks." Cloud nodded his head slightly and then noticed the last of their group behind Tifa. Vincent. His old friend. Who was looking at him weirdly. There seemed to be a burning question in his eyes but the quiet man did not speak it out loud. Instead he turned and started to walk down the hallway. Zack noticed his departure and then called after him, yelling, "Yo Vince! Wait up, will you?"

Zack got an offhanded wave from the retreating figure that moved away from the standing group with every step he took.

"Vincent?" Tifa whispered to herself, shadows coming across her face that Aerith didn't miss. The brunette lifted a hand and rested it on Tifa's shoulders.

"It has nothing to do with you Teef…there's nothing wrong here." Aerith said softly, her eyes scanning her best friend's face. Tifa gave a shudder and held Aerith's warm hand in her own.

"Yeah…you're right…it had nothing to do with me. I just can't stop feeling…responsible for…." Tifa started, squeezing her friend's hand tightly.

"Shhhh…nothing, Teef, nothing. Come on, let's go and catch up with him now." Aerith said the last part more loudly and caught everyone's attention as she pulled Tifa in pursuit of Vincent's path. Yuffie followed after them, Cloud could hear her mutter that she didn't want to be left with the guys. Zack looked at Cloud and shrugged.

"Come on. Let's get going Cloud." He beckoned Cloud who merely nodded his head again and tagged along.

_I guess it's time to get to class now…_ He thought.

**AT THE ELEVATORS…**

"Are you sure, Tifa?" Zack asked, scratching his head with a questioning look on his handsome face.

"Yes, I'm sure you numbskull. We can fit you five into the first ride and Cloud and I will take the next elevator down. That way, things will be easier." Tifa turned to Cloud and grinned. "Anyways, we have some things to talk about…right Cloud?" She nudged him with her elbow slightly. Cloud's eyes widened.

"Ohh…right yeah. Stuff…that we have to talk about…heh…." He said nervously, his eyes glancing shiftily at Tifa who just grinned as innocent as she could.

"Alright then." Zack finally said, still looking suspiciously at the two. "We'll see you guys in class then."

"Yep! See you there!" Tifa waved at the retreating group and when the door closed between the two groups, she turned to Cloud who had been randomly scuffing the heels of his shoes on the floor.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" He asked curiously, looking up when he felt her gaze resting upon the top of his head.

"There are two things that we have to talk about." Tifa started, holding up two fingers that she wiggled in his face. Cloud backed away and glanced at the floor indicator that was above the elevator doors. The number four for lit up at that moment. The "box of doom" would soon be arriving. Cloud mentally shuddered at the thought and began to brace himself against the worrisome fear.

"Which are…?" Cloud questioned blankly.

"One, there's your schedule for the year to talk about. And two, we need to figure out a plan to get Aerith's attention." Tifa exclaimed.

**DING**

The elevator door silently slid open and Tifa entered, beckoning a suspicious Cloud to follow.

"Uh…Ok then?" The blonde-haired man's statement sounded like a question. Tifa "tsk'd" him good-naturedly and began to talk about his schedule.

"Ok, your first block this morning is…history! With me, Vincent and Yuffie! That's great!" Flashing a bright smile his way, Tifa combed a hand through her smooth silky-looking hair. It was obvious that someone had woken up early to take a shower this morning. "Oh yeah, and then there's break. Just to let you know Cloud, we have two hour classes, an hour and a half lunch and a thirty minute break here. Sure you can handle it?" The tone of Tifa's voice would've intimidated the hell out of anyone else but Cloud, the well-prepared honours student that he was, had been expecting the barb…just not from Tifa that's all.

"I think I'll be able to." Cloud said in a confident voice. Tifa eyed him smugly. Cloud cleared his throat uncomfortably and straightened up.

"I know I'll be able to." He repeated, shrugging his shoulders to see if he had appeased the expectant woman standing across from him.

"Better." Tifa's eyes softened and then she announced something that would only show Cloud the more caring side to the girl who was going to stick next to him throughout the year. "Also Cloud, I'll be accompanying you throughout all your classes for the first few days. You know, just to show you where all the classrooms are and the teachers and all that stuff."

"But, there are maps aren't the-?" Tifa cut Cloud off with a loud guffaw that seemed rather out of character.

"Yeah, follow the maps if you plan on getting _**more**_ lost. Those pamphlets won't help you at all. It's just better for me to be next to you ok? I don't want to leave your side."

Cloud glanced at Tifa. There was just something in her voice that rang differently about her words.

_Tifa? _

Wondering, Cloud realized something that had failed to reveal itself to him except now. He was in an elevator…and wasn't suffering an anxiety attack…Another thing to ponder upon. Was it because he was too wound up about his first day or had Tifa actually managed to distract him from the ever-present fear? He glanced at her again and looked away. Silence filled the small moving box as numbers dinged above the couple's heads.

Tifa bit her tongue after her exclamation and clasped her hands together in front of her. What had she been thinking?? Tifa squeezed her hands tighter together, feeling the blood rush up to her burning cheeks.

_I am not going to say another word until we get out of here…_ She vowed in silence, clenching her teeth together roughly.

**DING**

The elevator doors slid open once more and the two stepped out, only to find out that the quietness they had experienced upstairs was a far cry from the hustling and bustling crowds that filled the area around them. Cameras flashed as they pushed their way through the crowds, Tifa leading as Cloud followed close behind.

"_Tifa! Tifa! Look over here!" _

"_Smile for the camera! We need new pictures!!" _

"_Congratulations on winning the Jilette Award!!" _

"Uh…Tifa?" Cloud shouted over the din but she paid no mind, refusing to raise her head up. _Why are there photographers here? What the hell is a Jilette Award? _

"Annoying bastards…" He heard her whisper. Confusion painted Cloud's features but they pressed onwards until finally they reached a secluded area where there were only a few people. Cloud was just relieved that he actually had _space_ to breathe finally. How did Tifa put up with this?

"I'm sorry we had to take a detour, Cloud. It'll take us a few more minutes to get to class now." Tifa apologized glumly, bowing her head slightly in his direction.

"Oh..err, that's fine." Cloud replied, trying to convince the sullen-looking girl that he had no problem with their current route. "I'll just think of this as the more scenic route, 'kay?"

Tifa turned around and blinked at him. A grin broke out on her face at that moment. Tifa had obviously been reassured that Cloud held no resentment towards her for the mishap. "Yeah, that's right. The _**scenic**_ route. Follow me."

Tifa started forward while at the same time checking a silver and gold watch that was wrapped around a delicate wrist.

_Hmmm…we have ten minutes to get to first block…We'll make it in time. I'm sure of it…_ Her brows furrowed together as her face scrunched up into a pensive look. _Hopefully there won't be any more crowds blocking our way._

Tifa made to move forward but a cry from behind halted her steps.

"Wait!! Ms!!" Two figures ran towards her, huffing and puffing as they came to an abrupt stop in front of the stunned woman. Cloud's eyes narrowed the moment his eyes set upon the red hair and bald head in front of him.

_Them again?_ Cloud thought incredulously. _Oh brother…_

"Weren't you two supposed to be accompanying the other group?" Tifa snapped in a furious voice, her eyes filled with a disconcerting ire. "Isn't it standard procedure to always guard the most people since their altogether influence and their need of protection is high-priority?"

Reno grimaced at the reprimand from the slightly shorter girl. _I must not get angry, I must not get angry…stay calm! Stay calm! _

He averted his gaze to keep his temper down but instead, his eyes fell upon the person standing right next to the precious Ms. Lockhart. _HIM!_ The redhead's eyes lit up. "HEY! It's you! That little twer-OW OW OW OW OW OW OW !!"

At that moment, Reno felt a harsh pinch and pull on his ear, making him yelp in pain.

"OWWWW OW OOOWWWW!!" He repeated as Rude applied more pressure to his hold on his partner's apparently delicate ear.

"I am so sorry for the apparent inconvenience we are troubling you with at this moment, Ms. Lockhart but Mr. Valentine personally requested that we wait for you and offer our services while the rest of the Turks guarded their specific group. Elena, Tseng and our other operatives are more than enough, so please do not concern yourself with this matter any longer." Rude explained promptly, still holding Reno's ear in between his fingers.

Tifa arched an eyebrow at the rather ridiculous sight and then resigned herself to letting out a heavy sigh. "Well then, I have just one more question for you. Where were the two of you when me and Cloud were about to get mauled by a mob of reporters and students? Hmmm?"

"Ahem…" Rude cleared his throat loudly and then proceeded with answering Tifa's question, "It would appear that at the same moment you and your companion exited the elevator, a certain _**something**_ caught the eyes of my fellow operative, Reno, here. We are terribly sorry…aren't we, Reno?" Rude pulled down on Reno who ended up giving an awkward bow to Tifa who folded her arms and turned away.

"Fine, whatever. Let's just go to our class, shall we?" Tifa almost muttered to herself, a grouchy mood taking over. With Reno and Rude leading the way, Tifa and Cloud made their way over to their classroom without much incident. Finally, they reached their destination. Tifa entered the classroom before Cloud who had been trailing behind her, lost in thought.

sigh _And I was hoping to talk to Tifa more…'_

_About what exactly?_ The impish voice in his head implied, making another one of its rare appearances in his subconscious.

"About…stuff." Cloud muttered to himself condescendingly though he felt let down at his choice of words.

A great eruption within the class brought his mind out of the clouds as he also walked through the doorway.

"WOOHOO! Congratulations Tifa!" People shouted, screamed, muttered and exclaimed in various ways and forms as the praised girl sheepishly walked down the aisles of desks that eventually led to the back of the room. There, she met up with Aerith and the rest of the group who were sitting there patiently with rather amused looks on their faces. Nobody but them knew that underneath the words of thanks and the grateful smiles and giggles was a underlying irritation of the glory her award had gotten her.

"Bask in the ambience, Teef!" Zack called out gaily (A/N: f.y.i – he called out in a happy way, not like a homo or something), causing Tifa to throw a withering smile his way.

_Shut up Zack…_ Tifa thought while grinding her teeth together as she accepted more words of praise from students who hoped that their sucking up would put them in her good books. She tried to mentally send the message to him but when she glanced Zack's way again, the fiend was still grinning. Obviously, her attempts had fallen short of reaching him.

_Wait…doesn't he have another class?_ The afterthought suspiciously ran through her mind. _And Aerith too! _

"Aren't you supposed to be in drama class right now Zack?" Tifa asked, breaking away from the crowd and striding forward to stand in front of him.

"Shoot, and I thought you wouldn't notice. What a stalker." Zack joked, having the grace to shake his head in mock disappointment as he stood up from his seat. "Well, I guess Aerith and I will take our lead. Shall we go, Milady?" Zack extended his arm to the brunette beside who stood up at the same time. She glared at him and then turned her attention to Tifa as she brushed past the black-haired fool.

"Tifa, enjoy the spotlight. It'll do you some good to take a break from studying now." Aerith commented gently.

"Aerith…how many times do I have to tell you? There are _**no**_ breaks from studying because the goddamn teachers keep piling work on me…like CID! He just up and left me and Mr. Irresponsible there," Tifa shot a heated look at Zack who was already halfway out the door. "In charge."

"You still have Mr. Barret and Vincent and me here, if that's any consolation." The girl offered sweetly, her eyes flickering from Tifa's face to the clock that hung on the wall. Class was going to start soon.

"Yeah…I guess I do still have you guys…" Tifa cracked a smile and stepped forward to hug her before Aerith made her exit.

"See you later, Tifa. Oh, and see you later Cloud!" Aerith waved as she left to go back to her drama class, silently cursing Zack who had left before her. Tifa's eyes widened at the mention of the blonde-haired boy of whom she had unwittingly abandoned the moment she had stepped in.

Aerith, on the other hand, did not get to see her friend's distraught face as her thoughts suddenly became concentrated upon reaching her own class on time. _I wonder if I'll make it back in time… _She thought rather hopefully but….

**RINGGGGGGGGGGG **(Just to let you know, this is the school bell)

With a glum sigh, Aerith lost whatever remaining hope there was of not being late. What a great start to the day. "Never mind that…"

"Never mind what?"

Aerith looked up and was genuinely surprised to see Zack leaning against the wall. The question was…why?

"Why are you still here?" She expressed her inner question, glad that her voice gave no hint of her true emotions.

"Can't you tell?" Zack stated, pushing away from the wall with ease. He turned his back to her and started to walk off to their class. "I was waiting for you." He muttered roughly, low enough so only they could hear his words.

"Oh." Aerith's mind went blank at that moment. He had been waiting for her. The suddenly subdued girl lowered her gaze to the ground and followed Zack's shadow on the reflective floor areas of the floor.

_Zack…_ Her eyes flickered to him and then back down. _Does he still care about…? No…I can't think like this… _

**Back in the room where Aerith had left a very irritated and sorry Tifa alone with kissing up students… Why is she so sorry? **

"Cloud! Where are you!?" Tifa exclaimed frantically, looking over the heads of others to find the new and probably confused student somewhere in the class. AHHH! How could she have forgotten about him?! She was an awful, completely horrible guide! AHHH! She cursed herself!!

"Tifa?" Her eyes grew even wider. His voice! Where was it coming from? "I'm right over here…"

The brunette's head swung violently to the side, causing someone to get brutally whipped across the face by her long hair.

"Oops! SORRY!! Oh my God, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Tifa shouted loudly, appalled by her actions. Why did it seem like everything was going out of control??

"That's okay. I'm fine, don't worry about it." Cloud raised his head and smiled weakly at Tifa.

Tifa bit her lip in response. How could she have done that? _Oh….poor Cloud!_ She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Yuffie, who had abruptly appeared from the crowd and had tackled the rightly-labeled "poor" boy whose ribs were now pinned against the biting end of a desk.

"Chocobo Head! Why did you guys take so long?!" The hyperactive girl squealed in Cloud's already ringing ears.

"Well, we…" Cloud started but again was cut off by a dry voice as Vincent also emerged from the crowd.

"Let go of him, midget. You're causing an unwanted scene here." Vincent rolled his eyes, staring with a cool look at Cloud who was trying not to push the younger girl off of him. He silently ignored the admiring gazes of the fan girls around him and only concentrated on the people of people in front of him.

"Midget! I'm not a MIDGET!" Yuffie exploded angrily, involuntarily complying with Vincent's request as she moved towards him, her face red and her fists clenched at her sides.

"Oh no…I'm sorry, you're not a midget…" Vincent said quickly as Yuffie stopped in front of him with fiery eyes. Her eyes had softened upon hearing this but what Vincent said next completely erased her calmed state.

"You're more like a little imp, aren't you, Kisaragi? Ha h-!" Yuffie launched herself at her unsuspecting tormentor and started pounding him on the chest with her fists as hard as she could.

"AAHHHHH! VINCENT! I **HATE** YOU!" She screamed furiously, her eyes narrow slits of resentment.

Tifa stood at an unprecedented crossroads. To her right, there was Cloud who was half-slumped over a desk with his hand visibly clutching his side. What internal damages had Yuffie's attack inflicted? She made a step towards him but hesitated; Vincent's shouts attracting her attention. To the left, there was Yuffie on top of Vincent who looked like he was more embarrassed than angry at the awkward situation. Not one to appreciate the attention of others, Tifa could very well understand his motives of trying to push Yuffie off of him. _Who should I help?_ Their other classmates were no help at all. All they were doing was staring at the rare phenomenon of Vincent being unable to defend himself which was practically a once in a lifetime thing. Tifa bit her lip again… _Uhhh…_

"TIFA! GET HER OFF OF ME!" Vincent held back the urge to kick out his legs and instead settled for trying to grab hold of the violently swinging girl's fists. So far, Yuffie had managed to knock the breath out of his lungs which were getting squished under her weight and she was now trying to punch holes into his chest. Pain radiated from the places she had managed to land a punch on. This surprised Vincent for her had never known that a girl of her stature could be in control of such power.

Tifa started at Vincent's uncharacteristically loud voice. Was this the reaction she could begin to expect from him when the new girl is around? "Okay, okay! I'm coming!" She replied in a hurry, glancing at Cloud again who seemed to be trying to stand up properly. "I'll be with you in a sec Cloud!"

Cloud waved off her call, already having a hard enough time focusing on standing up properly. Recovery seemed slow for him and his arm was now acting up again in its sling. "Damn this all…" He swore under his breath, fighting the urge to speak the rest of the words that were flowing through his head right now. Yet despite his disheveled state, Cloud managed to hear some peculiar conversations starting up around him.

"Who is he? A new student?" whispered one person in a hushed voice.

"Hey, wasn't he the one Tifa walked in with just now?" Gasps and "oh"s sounded and then were silenced by the shushing of others. Apparently, they didn't want _him_hear…and obviously, as Cloud rolled his eyes to himself, they weren't doing a very good job.

"Yeah!" The students had started conversing again. "And why did Kisaragi-san hug him so suddenly!?"

"And didn't Aerith wave bye to him also?! Is he an executive's son or something that we don't know about!?"

At this point, Cloud looked up and caught the looks of his classmates. They were stares filled with clear distrust and suspicion.

An auburn-haired boy with a stylish haircut and hawk-like eyes came forward and grabbed onto Cloud's arm, pulling him to the outside of the classroom. He hardly looked the stereotypical image of a welcoming committee considering that he hadn't said so much as a friendly "hello" and that there was a straight sever line that Cloud guessed was his thin-lipped mouth.

"How do you know the Elite Four and Kisaragi-san?" The unknown person demanded unkindly as half the people from the class formed a circle around the two.

_Every once in a while, my guesses turn out to be true…_ Cloud thought to himself, repressing a chuckle and instead, settling for a nonchalant shrug and a look of confusion. Who were the "Elite Four"? He knew that this "Kisaragi-can" person was Yuffie…but…the others? He had no clue.

"I don't know any Elite Four but I do know Yuffie…you must have the wrong person though. Who are they?" Cloud asked in a more respectful tone compared to the other boy's. The boy stared at him like he had just swallowed an elephant.

"Y-Y-You don't know who _**THEY**_ are!?" The boy exclaimed in disbelief, grabbing Cloud by the shoulders roughly and shaking him wildly. "How could you not?! The most popular, smartest, beautiful…-est people in the whole world! What is wrong with you man!!"

Cloud could've sworn that at that moment, the other student had started to hyperventilate. Cloud had been about to correct his grammar; "beautiful-est" was not actually a real word, at least not a word recognized by the snobby people who made up dictionaries and encyclopedias and the like at least.

"There's nothing wrong with me…Watch the arm please….I just don't know who they are. If you'd be so kind as to point them out to me." Cloud trailed off, wondering if the person he was talking to was in his proper mental state.

"…_**She**_ won the Jilette award for writing a fifty thousand word essay under 3 hours on how the environmental issue of how the Republican group should become more aware and also interjecting matters concerning the US…_**He**_ won the world championship for gun marksmanship and prowess in battle, the reigning champion for 2 years since he started. _**She's**_ introducing her own clothing line and opening her own charity in Africa at the age of 20. _**He**_ is the first person to ever win the State Nationals single-handedly and the MVP award 8 times in a row! That's a world record for all of them! And Kisaragi-san is joining their ranks as the royal _hime_(princess) of Japan and heir to the country in name. But she also has her own accomplishments. Having trained in secret academies that specialize in each of the seven deadly arts of the ninja, she can probably kill you as easily as a snake kills the mouse with lethal accuracy…." The boy listed off other accomplishments this esteemed group that Yuffie had joined had done or received. In Cloud's mind though, as he listened, vague images flickered briefly, making him think that he might have seen these unfamiliar people without recognizing their status…but who? Who? The only people he was in contact with at this school were……………Oh.

"AHH! Two of them are coming here!! And with Kisaragi-san too! They're approaching Ryan! Oh my gosh! What's he going to do!?" People started crying out excitedly as they pointed in the direction of Cloud, or rather, "Ryan", the boy he was standing beside. Cloud looked around for the fabled group members and wondered what they looked like and how they acted…The circular crowd broke in half and made way for the three superior students. But what was surprising was that those three had promptly passed Ryan and had headed straight for Cloud.

"Hey, Cloud. Where'd you go just now? After I helped Vincent out with Yuffie, you suddenly disappear from the class." Tifa said, folded arms showing her irritation with his inability to stay in one place. It was true anyhow. After she had assisted with pulling the flailing Yuffie off of a tousled and greatly disturbed Vincent, she had immediately commenced with scanning the room for Cloud's location. Yuffie was standing beside Tifa, her arms also folded with the disappointment of not being able to punch the crap out of her new mortal enemy who was keeping a safe meters length away with shadowed eyes.

"And why the heck are all these people outside anyways? And…Cloud? Is something wrong?"

Tifa had stopped talking when she'd noticed the far-off look in his eyes. Yuffie and Vincent too noticed and temporarily forgot their animosity with each other.

"Y-You're part of the Elite Four?" Cloud's stammered statement turned out to sound more like a question. What did this mean for him? All along he had conversed and had made fun of the five people who were the rulers of the collegiate. "That isn't true…is it?"

Tifa looked sheepish and even managed to giggle a little, Vincent had a look on his face that showed that he still did not understand what was his childhood friend's issue was and Yuffie just laughed at him and smiled in that impish way of hers.

"Well, the "Elite Four" is more of like a nickname the school gave us…." Tifa muttered, embarrassed at hearing the title; she had definitely not accepted it in the beginning. But Cloud took her words as admission that these people he had just met yesterday were indeed what Ryan had told him.

"Oh…really? And how long were you planning on keeping this little title of yours hidden from me?" A sudden edge had entered Cloud's tone, surprising Tifa who had never thought Cloud possible of this.

"We weren't….it just never came up." Tifa said defensively, not wanting him to get the wrong idea about them.

"Right…of course it didn't….because you were all too busy making fun of the common boy in your dorm room right?! Too preoccupied while playing around with a dispensable newcomer who hasn't a penny in his name?!" The venomous words flowed freely from Cloud's mouth, anger spilling out from his soul as he thought of how they, his so-called "friends" who had listened to his brief stories of back home, must have laughed behind his back. He might have been blowing this out of proportion but he couldn't help it; he had had some bad experiences with betrayal and finding out that things weren't always as they seemed to be. The departure of his brother for one…he had left weeks before Mother had passed away without so much as a goodbye.

"We weren't making fun of you!" Tifa's nostrils flared and her eyes flashed anger. Where was all this coming from?

"Why is everyone out in the hall?" A gruff-looking teacher approached and the students quickly filed back into the classroom, Cloud among them for he did not want to be in the presence of such 'wonderful students' any longer.

"Cloud, what are you talking about? We never…" Vincent had pushed through the students and reached out a hand that now grabbed onto his shoulder, pulling him back. Cloud pulled it off quickly as if his old friend's touch had burned his skin.

"Don't touch me Vincent. Just leave me alone." The blonde walked inside and sat down in an empty desk as far away from the back as possible. He stared down at the hard wood of the finely furnished desk and thought about it. Vincent…his closest friend… and waited.

"What just happened Tifa?" Yuffie murmured quietly, her eyes watching Cloud carefully. She could tell he was avoiding their gazes.

Tifa shook her head. What had caused this sudden outburst? "I don't know Yuffie…I don't know." She said as the teacher started the lesson despite the obvious tension that now hung over the classroom.

* * *

**_A/N:_** Longest chapter yet!! WOOT! And I finally got to the part where Cloud acts like a drama queen! (Don't worry, this is probably a one-time thing for him...or is it? haha XD most likely) I'm sorry that there's not a whole lot of development happening right now...I still kind of feel like I'm at the introducing stage even though it's chapter nine already. So please forgive me that things are going slow compared to other stories. R&R please :) It's always great to see what people think of my story. Also, as most of you can see (if not, it doesn't really matter) I just changed "Aeris" to "Aerith" :D Hopefully (if my schedule allows it), I'll be able to have chapter ten ready to post in a week...or two.


	10. Goodbye Cloud Strife

Disclaimer: The story is all mine and though I wish (quite frequently) that the FFVII characters were mine too, they're not… :P

If Only You Knew

Chapter Ten: Goodbye Cloud Strife

Few hours later, Cloud's History class ended. He ran out of the room as fast as he could before Tifa or anyone else could reach him. The thirty minute break seemed so much longer to Cloud who cautiously looked around every corner to make sure he wouldn't bump into one of _them_. But little did he know that in his next class, Science, he would meet yet another challenge in the form of the mischievous Zack and the school sweetheart, Aerith.

"Yo Cloud! Buddy! What's going on?" Zack moved away from the lab table and walked over to Cloud who had just entered the room. He raised a hand up for a high five and asked, "I heard th-?? Cloud?"

The silent blond had just walked past him, hadn't even muttered a timid "hello" to him. Zack arched an eyebrow at Aerith and let his hand fall back down to his side. Aerith stepped up and tapped Cloud lightly on the shoulder, hoping to catch his attention. It didn't work. Cloud didn't even give the remotest acknowledgement that he had felt something. Grimly, Aerith walked over to her desk and pouted, resting her chin between her palms.

"What's eating him?" Zack questioned, following the girl as he casts covert glances at Cloud who had proceeded with opening his plastic-covered textbook. Aerith shrugged. She had no clue either.

"Let's get this lecture over with first." She suggested, eying the professor who had just entered with a scattered look on his face and a bundle of papers in his arms. "And then we'll talk."

"Ahem. Class, we have a long lesson ahead of us. We are going to talk about Cytokinesis and its effects on…." The professor droned on as Zack sat down next to a disgruntled Aerith and started mocking the teacher every time he turned around. Aerith glared at him and pinched his arm whenever he pulled a disgusted face as the professor continued unsuspectingly.

Two hours later, the bell rang to signal the end of classes and the beginning of lunch.

"Thank God that's over…" Zack yawned, stretching his arms high up in the air. He got off his stool and kicked his legs. "I think my butt's asleep."

Aerith rolled her eyes as she got up as well. "That's great Zack but we have more important things to worry about. Cloud," She turned to where he had been sitting and sighed, "Cloud's already gone. Lovely…."

"Isn't it?" Zack replied, packing up his things and already heading for the door. Aerith followed suit and walked beside the tall male.

"I wonder, why is he avoiding us?" They started to head outside to meet the rest of the group for lunch.

"Maybe it's because you stopped taking your breath mints?" Zack suggested, earning himself a series of pinches on his forearm. "Ow! Ow! Okay, I'm just kidding! Stop the infernal pinching will you?!" He swatted away her hand and moved away to put a bit of distance in between them as they hurried on. "Cut your nails every once in a while…." He muttered.

"You're the one who should be doing that!" Aerith grumbled with a sour face. Taken back, Zack blinks and pauses.

"…I should be cutting my nails?" asked the confused man.

"No! I meant you should be taking breath mints!!" Aerith snapped sharply, irritated at the thickness of his skull. This morning was not going smoothly for her at all. Thankfully, she spotted Tifa and the rest near the large willow tree located at the center of the collegiate courtyard.

"Ouch…" Zack feigned a hurt expression as Aerith sniffed prettily and looked away, calling, "Hey Teef! Over here!"

Tifa gave a small wave in return but anyone could see that her mind was far off in the distance. Her mind was still gallingly weighed down with the fact that Cloud was now evading her. Vincent and Yuffie were off to the side, arguing about some stupid thing that had come up in their conversation. "Hey Aerith, how's it going?"

By Tifa's tone, Aerith knew that she was asking about the situation with Cloud. "Not good. What happened anyways? He was ignoring me and Zack in science just now."

_That's odd…Cloud even ignored Aerith?_ Tifa thought silently, a frown settling on her lips. _I would've thought that Aerith at lest would have spoken with him..._

"There were….difficulties after you guys left our class this morning…" Tifa cringed at the word "difficulties" and didn't say anything more than that. Aerith was too polite to press for more information.

Noticing the dampened mood, Zack decided to step forward and hung an arm around Tifa's shoulder, much to the brunette's annoyance. He leaned against her and confidently announced, "Ah you guys, I'm sure he'll be fine. Don't worry! Why tomorrow, I bet he'll even come over to use and say sorry!"

_**The Next Day…**_

_I'm not going to say sorry!_ Cloud thought vehemently as he paced in his dorm room. _Never!_

An image of Aerith's saddened face popped into his mind and a wave of unexpected guilt washed over the man.

"No no no….stop thinking about her!" He stared at himself in the tall mirror and grimaced. This was no time to think about girls; he had to get dressed for class. He quickly put on his clothes and was out of his room under five minutes. Looking around, it looked like no one was up yet. Cloud could even hear snoring coming from the direction of Zack's room.

_What a joke._ Cloud laughed in his mind at the sound and walked over to the grand doorway that lead to the hallway. He reached for the handle to open it but then on a whim, looked downward and saw that one of his shoes was untied. He bent down and tried his best to tie a respectable knot with a functional one and a half arm. As he was tying though, even through his deeply concentrated state, he could hear soft voices coming from the other side of the door. Cloud looked up and then behind him to make sure no one was there. After that, he opened the door just a teeny tiny bit and tried to see who was out there.

_I'm not eavesdropping or anything..._ Cloud thought, trying to reason with his morals. _I'm just going to see who it is. I wouldn't want to interrupt anyone's conversation or anything?_

And with that, he tried to clear his mind and strained his ears to listen in.

"Are you sure he said to go early today?" A female was talking and Cloud's eyes widened. It was Tifa. She gave a muffled yawn and he heard fabric shifting on the other side. The other person must've nodded their head or something because she then said, "Well then, we better get going. Oh wait. My cell phone's ringing."

An unfamiliar tune rang faintly in the hallway and Cloud could hear Tifa searching her pockets for it. "I'll be right back 'kay? I just have to take this call."

Cloud heard footsteps moving away from his hiding place behind the door. _That's one person I don't have to see…_ He thought but another frown appeared on his face. There was still that other person out there though.

"I'll just have to ignore him." Cloud decided and stood up, hearing his knees give a satisfying crack after staying in that uncomfortable position for a while. He gingerly pushed open the door and walked through, only to be greeted by red irises.

"Eavesdropping, are we?" Vincent acknowledged mockingly, his arms folded. Cloud clenched his fists tightly at his side. Vincent was one of the last people he wanted to meet right now. The fact that they had been friends before only angered him more. Cloud opened his mouth to say something but then at the last moment, decided against it and kept it closed. Turning around, he started to walk away.

"What's this all about, Cloud?" The question brought the blonde male to a stop.

"What's what?" Cloud replied evenly, his back still facing Vincent. He heard the other man walk towards him and wasn't in the least surprised when the black-haired man stationed himself in front of Cloud.

_Being difficult hmm?_ Vincent thought, scowling on the inside while he kept a composed face on the outside. Just looking at Cloud made him want to….No, he couldn't. Not when Tifa was just around the corner. He wouldn't allow himself to become violent. Instead, Vincent cleared his throat and said, "Let me rephrase that: why the hell are you fucking around with us?"

Vincent had said it with his usual polite tone but the look in his eyes was unkind. Cloud's mind was a blank slate at that moment. This was yet another side of Vincent that he had never seen during their younger years spent together. This was a side that he wasn't sure how to handle. He didn't know this Vincent. This resulted in no answer leaving his lips. In its place, Cloud endeavored to sidestep his former friend and head for the door but in vain was his attempt. Vincent had anticipated the move and had moved along with him. Cloud gritted his teeth together and sent a baleful glare.

"Still not answering?" Vincent's eyes narrowed. "Is this how little you think of us? After we extended a hand in friendship to you, this is how you treat us?"

The words stung Cloud and made him take a step back. The way he has said it….it made him feel angry himself. That was not how he felt. That was not what he thought of them. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't his fault….

"It's not my problem." Cloud finally spoke up though his voice turned out more aggressive and arrogant than he had intended. "What you should concern yourself with is that you never even told me who you were, exactly why I'm even standing here and decided to let the '_underprivileged commoner'_ find out for himself!"

"Listen to yourself, you ass! God, take a minute and just listen to what you're saying to me! To all of us! We have never, **NEVER** tried to embarrass or make fun of you since we first met! It has never crossed any one of our minds! Hell, what were you thinking yesterday when you said this same shit to Tifa?! Haven't you even grasped the fact that she has been blaming herself the whole time for your actions?! She, out of all of us, tried her best to **HELP** you, you goddamn bastard!" Vincent let his resentment and fury explode from the tight constraints of his cool composure. No longer stood in front of Cloud the calm, uptight Vincent. Now there was this extremely angry, almost unrecognizable person who was practically shouting in his face. This wasn't Vincent….this was like the reincarnation of the devil!

Cloud couldn't let himself be intimidated (though maybe he was, just a little) but he felt his heart clench for a brief moment in his chest at the mention of Tifa. She was blaming herself?

_She should, shouldn't she? She's a part of all of this! Never forget that!_ With that thought stuck in his mind, Cloud countered Vincent's rant and said, "Who cares about Tif-!!"

A fist punched him in the cheek just then and caused Cloud to stagger unsteadily into a wall. He slumped against it and stared up in disbelief at Vincent whose lifted fist was turning a sore red and seemed throbbing. Vincent couldn't believe it either; he had been working himself into a rage and Cloud……Cloud…He had come a hairsbreadth away to insulting Tifa. Cloud. His name repeated itself in Vincent's mixed up head. He didn't have the right to do that. No one did because Tifa….she… How dare he…

Cloud watched a flash of frustration replace the look of fury that had been occupying Vincent's face. He stood there, leaning against the wall as that same man shook his head and fists as if to rid an inner demon from within. _Vincent…_ He thought, feeling an emotion not unlike to that of compassion.

"Leave her alone Cloud." Vincent's voice, low and distorted, hummed in Cloud's ears. He looked up, shocked at the statement. Who was he talking about? Could it be….Tifa?

"Why? Isn't it obvious I've already been doing that?" Cloud shifted and pushed away from the wall to walk unsteadily back to Vincent. He stared at him with unflinching eyes as Cloud felt his cheek and found that his lip had been cut in the process and was even bleeding a little. He wiped away the blood with his hand carelessly and tasted hot coppery liquid on his tongue.

"Just stay away from her."

"Stay away from who?" Both men froze at the sound of the voice. Tifa had come back. Cloud felt his muscles twitch and even saw something not unlike that of a panicked expression on his face. They had forgotten themselves and had allowed themselves to get carried away, raising their voices as they had continued to converse. Neither of them wanted Tifa to see them like this.

Vincent took a deep breath and answered before Cloud could say anything. "No one in particular. I think it would be best for us to go right now. We might end up being late."

Tifa nodded and slowly passed Cloud but as she passed, Tifa couldn't help but glance up at his face. Her impulsive action was brought about by the small hope that she would catch a glimpse of the person that she had only just met two days ago, the man with the shy smile. The man who possessed a nameless appeal that had made her heart race for some unknown reason. But as she searched his face for that one fleeting second, she saw no remainder of that person. In his place was an indifferent man who looked like he just didn't give a damn. That couldn't be Cloud. This man, though similar in features, had a split lip that dripped blood down his chin and the telltale beginnings of a bruise was starting to appear on his cheek. A soft gasp escaped from Tifa's mouth and she stood there, staring wordlessly at Cloud who found this unnerving. He averted his eyes but almost immediately got caught in the stare of a less than benevolent Vincent who was standing opposite of him still.

"Ahem..." Vincent coughed politely, trying to get Tifa to walk towards the elevator. But she hardly responded, only having eyes for Cloud at that point. Instead, to the surprise of the two others, she reached a hand towards Cloud's face.

"Does it hurt?" She asked softly as her hand lightly stroked the bruised cheek. Tifa was in a dream-like state, completely unaware of her surroundings but deeply engrossed in the person in front of her. Vincent stood there, shocked and strangely, unable to move a single muscle. Cloud had flinched and cursed the tingling feeling that the hand's caress was leaving behind in its trail.

_That's just the stinging feeling of the punch, nothing else…_ He wouldn't allow himself to think of the intimacy as anything more. With that thought, Cloud pushed Tifa's hand away and moved away. For another second, they both just stood there, Tifa's hand still hanging in the air awkwardly. Humiliated, she dropped her hand heavily back to her side and slumped her shoulders. Tifa closed her eyes to will the unexpected stab in her heart away. She swallowed inaudibly and without turning around, she said words that made Cloud stop yet again in his tracks.

"Why won't you talk to me anymore, Cloud? How long are you planning to stay mad at us? I thought," She gave a hollow laugh and then continued, "I thought that we were friends."

Cloud didn't answer, refused to answer but at the same time, he began to feel his throat constricting because of some invisible pressure building up around him.

Tifa took his silence as consent to go on. Her next words made an even bigger impact on Cloud than her last, more than he would ever know. "Was our friendship _**that**_ shallow that it only takes a couple of words from somebody else to shake your trust in us? Doesn't it make you wonder if we were ever friends at all….Cloud?"

When Tifa spoke his name, Cloud felt a jerking in his chest and begged it to stop. On the outside though, the silence remained.

"Tifa." Vincent called for one last time, eying the emotional girl. She raised her hand and he abruptly fell silent.

"I think the world of my friends and I know that they do the same for me as well. I don't associate myself with people I don't respect. Goodbye Cloud Strife." Tifa turned around and barely sparing a glance his way, she half-ran past Cloud and nearly collided with Vincent whom she pulled along with her towards the end of the corridor. Tifa felt angry and chaotic inside but could hardly show her true feelings in front of Vincent who was watching her so carefully in such a close proximity.

"Tifa…" Again, Vincent could only mutter her name as they reached the end of the corridor and stood in front of the doors of the elevator. Right now the elevator was making its way up to their floor so it would only take a few more seconds for it to arrive. Ding, ding, ding. The doors slid open and Tifa slipped inside and leaned against the railing. Giving one more look behind him, Vincent followed her and leaned on the opposite wall with his arms folded. As the door closed and the elevator started moving down, Vincent finally gathered enough resolution to ask his question.

"Tifa, did you really mean what you said back there?" He questioned as nonchalantly as he could.

The dark haired girl shot him a probing look. "I did. I don't want to be around people like that. End of topic. Closed. Finito. "

Vincent shrugged and refused to take that as her answer. He knew her better than that. "I don't believe you."

"You don't have to. As long as I believe it, there's no problem." Tifa's eyes sent out a challenge but it was half-heartedly delivered.

"That could be considered as being _**conceited**_, don't you think so?"

"No, I'm just being realistic." Tifa replied with a sad smile. Ding, ding, ding. The doors opened. They had arrived at the main floor. "Come on, let's go to practice."

"Tifa! Wait." Vincent grabbed onto her forearm as they both stepped out of the elevator. Tifa looked down and then back up to Vincent who immediately released it from his grasp. "Sorry. It's just….Are you…?"

Tifa smiled again, feeling lighter at heart, if only for just a little while. She could see that he was getting flustered. As she studied his piercing red eyes, his dark lustrous hair and his other lovely well defined features that he possessed, Tifa felt herself flush awkwardly. She remembered the time when she had loved those eyes and that face with all of her mind, body and soul. But that time had come and go so that all that remained was the love that was like that of a younger sister for her older brother. Yet she could see, deep within his eyes…oh those eyes that had once enraptured her very being…that he still yearned for her in a way that she knew she could never again respond to.

"Vincent. You don't need to worry. I'm fine." Tifa reassured him blithely, giving him a crooked thumbs up.

"Are you sure?" Vincent inquired again, still troubled.

"Yes, yes! Stop it already! Friends don't need to worry _**that**_ much about each other." Tifa stated in an exasperated voice, rolling her eyes at him. She turned away and started to march off into a westward hallway off to the side of the Entrance Hall. "Hurry up! You're the one who said that we might get in trouble!"

"I said that we might be late! How can _**we**_ get in trouble?! We're the ones who volunteered for the extra practice!" Vincent replied loudly as he strode after her. And then quietly to himself he murmured, "Are ex-boyfriends allowed to worry this much, Tifa?"

Cloud vaguely remembered hearing the "ding" and the opening and closing of the elevator doors that echoed from the end of the corridor. Elusive thoughts fluttered around noisily in his mind. Tifa and Vincent were going down to the Entrance Hall right now. He was just standing outside in front of the boys' dorm room foyer. Blood was dripping from his chin and down onto the once-beautiful, now red stained floor. Yet in that state of utter confusion, Cloud found himself constantly repeating _**her**_ words. Tifa's words and the sheer effect and power it had swayed his way of thinking with. He had never known that just plain words could have affected him so greatly. What's more is that he had never known that those few simple words could have sucked all the anger and mistrust in him, leaving behind only the dawning of comprehension and remorse for his actions and falling out with his friends who, as Vincent had explained so clearly, had done nothing wrong but extend a friendly hand towards him.

"How could I be so…." Cloud searched his mind for the right word.

_Blind, shameful, horrid…_ They all seemed so appropriate. But there was one word that seemed to combine all of these into one maliciously descriptive word.

"Stupid." That last spoken word echoed in the halls also. At the sound of the echoes, Cloud found himself filled with a new, less negative resolve. A resolve that insisted on him searching out Tifa and Vincent to profusely apologize and (if need be) beg for forgiveness. He glanced at the boys' dorm room door and nodded his head. He would apologize to Zack and everyone else who he had let his anger out on yesterday and try his best to regain their trust and friendship. He wouldn't be influenced by others so easily next time. He dashed towards the elevator and started to violently hit the elevator button, so fast that the blinking lights and the pain of slapping the button was all a messed up aching blur. Cloud waited impatiently for the elevator and when it did, he walked inside and headed down. But, to apologize, he had to find them first. (O.o) This was going to be hard.

* * *

**_A/N:_** Hello again! WOO! 10th Chapter! I'm so slow!! :( Hopefully over time, my slowness will improve :P  
I hope you all enjoy my latest chapter because errrr...I don't think I will be able to post up any more until the beginning of September. Yes, I know. I'm sorry!! But I'm going on vacation and I don't think I will have access to a computer anywhere. But no worries, I will start chapter 11 (continue from what I've already written) and so on during my vacation! R&R Guys! Thanks for all the reviews last time!


	11. It's Okay

Disclaimer: The story is all mine and though I wish (quite frequently) that the FFVII characters were mine too, they're not… :P

A/N: Changing Aeris to Aerith, just personal preference.

If Only You Knew

**CHAPTER 11: It's Okay**

It hadn't taken long for Cloud to find them, (just three classes and two breaks later) but that was the easy part. The hard part was thinking of what to say. Oh yes, he said he'd apologize but when he came within a hundred meter radius of the group of friends, his brain stalled. This was going to be harder than he thought. The time that had passed since his, for lack of a better word, PMS, had conveniently deleted any over-exaggerated notions that had run through his mind at that point. And by conveniently, he meant that his memory probably was screwing him over with his apology. There had been the commoner shit he'd pulled but he knew now that it was just common, unreasonable insecurity. And Tifa, Aerith, Zack, Vincent…he took out on them the anger that was meant for his brother. How did one apologize for something he knew was wrong yet couldn't articulate the reason behind it?

'_Shit…there's only two minutes until the next class.'_ He thought, mulling things over in the corner. He peeked around the corner but ducked away once he saw Vincent glancing in his direction. Vincent, his oldest friend here. Making him act that way this morning, Cloud admitted that he must've really pushed his buttons. It wasn't everyday he acknowledged that he was a bastard. For treating all of them that way….no, would a simple apology even work? _'Shit, shit, shit, shit..' _At the rate he was going, he'd get out a couple of sentences by the end of the week.

"He just left." Zack whispered into Tifa's ear. Tifa swatted him away, irritated by the buzzing in her ear.

"Thanks for the update, but I don't need a play-by-play commentary Zack." The brunette snapped. The sadness from earlier that morning had transformed into a volatility that no one except Aerith could disarm. Even the teasing Zack and Yuffie were unusually behaved. Vincent was constantly watching her as well. If she wasn't feeling so miserable about Cloud, she would have found it funny how they were tiptoeing around her. The students around began to shift, already heading towards their next classes. "Sorry, I'm just…I'm going to the gardens for a while. By myself."

Having heard all about the confrontation in the morning, the group nodded their heads and dispersed, Vincent sending one last glance before leaving. Aerith, always there for support, transferred her warmth with a squeeze of her arm. "I'll check on you later okay? I'm sure there's a good reason for why he was acting like that and maybe we did do something…"

Aerith had trailed off again into thought and Tifa shook her head, pulling her arm away. She knew what she was thinking. "We did nothing wrong. He's the one who acted out, **we** should be angry."

This time, Aerith shook his head. "Maybe so, but you can't say that you'll never be friends with him again Tifa. I know you. This anger, it passes… Even to me, he ignored all of us but we can't let this become more than it already is."

"Aerith, could you please just stop being so…." _'Preachy?' _Tifa bit her tongue. She was only trying to help. Aerith merely smiled, touched Tifa's hand, and then walked away. Tifa heard voices in the direction her best friend took and assumed that Zack had waited for her, or Vincent had not given up his monitoring position yet. She was not going to wait to see who. From there, Tifa went for the exit to the gardens. Hopefully, she could cool her head off there and calm down. She reached the exit and stepped outside, hopping over the staircase railing with one hand. She landed soundlessly on the grass below and proceeded to walk alongside the walls. Fleetingly, she pictured _his_ accusatory eyes and cold shoulder…and then had to restrain herself from punching a hole in the wall. Cid would not take too kindly to returning from vacation and hearing that she had wreaked havoc on the innocent building. She took a deep breath again and closed her eyes as she walked on. Clear the mind, clear the mind. Ah, had she been wrong to say those things to Cloud with such finality? A warm burning spread along the back of her hand. The air was heady, nature's perfume reaching her senses.

'_Wait…'_ Tifa opened her eyes. She had walked straight onto the rose garden's pathway and was right next to a magnificent bush of red-tipped yellow roses. In the sun's light, the paleness of the yellow reflected white with such a pure red that it looked like blood.

"Are..Are you okay?" Cloud asked tentatively. He nearly jumped when Tifa swiveled around, fists raised and her stance defensive.

"Cloud?" In her eyes he saw confusion.

"Y-Yeah…" Damnit, why did he feel so nervous now?! He stuttered, why did he stutter!? "I was taking about your hand. You have a cut right here. It must have been from the thorns." He lifted his own and indicated said cut with a finger. Tifa didn't even look down, her eyes stuck on his face. He was talking to her now, and was that contrition she heard in his voice? Or was she imagining things?

He seemed like the old Cloud. As she appraised him, Tifa realized that the ill temper she had been holding onto had dissipated, had seeped out from her body. Could Aerith have been right, and for that matter, Vincent? Did she really not have it in her to break up this…friendship? Her heart clenched at the word and she nearly smiled. Ha, she was feeling tired again…

"I..You…This morning, I…I wasn't myself. I mean, I'm an idiot," Cloud started, his mouth opening and closing with all the grace of a gaping fish. Tifa said nothing, which he took as a signal to continue, his voice growing stronger as he spoke. "And I'm sorry, I thought I would say this to you first, since this morning I and you…and Vincent, the things... And to Vincent and the rest, I'll apologize as soon as class lets out. I just wanted to…I wanted to tell you first. I felt I had to. And what you said before was all right! I was an ungrateful bastard who just lost it and I don't know why and I, I'm rambling I know, but Aerith told me where you were heading so I skipped class and sort of followed you here…and then you stopped so I thought I should do it here and…"

She was still quiet, the weight of her gaze penetrating, heavy, and crushing simultaneously. A bird chirped from a nearby tree. The air was suddenly hot and sticky once Cloud shut up, looking flustered. He pulled loose his tie and loosened his collar.

"I had to talk to you first. I don't want to stop being friends because I'm stupid."

Tifa visibly shifted her gaze to his arm cast and turned her head away, lifting a hand to cover her cough that strangely sounded like a snicker. She looked back down at the roses and then her hand. There indeed was a smudged line of dried blood, a pearl of red of her skin. She tore a petal off one of the roses and rubbed off the blood. Then she sneezed. The sound was short, maybe even cute, but for some reason, her ears ringed and her head ached. She raised a hand to her temple and massaged it. All of these slow actions, she was trying to decide.

"Cloud…"

His eyes…what…they shouldn't look so hopeful?

'_Please don't look at me like that Cloud..' _

There came her previous dilemma. Her feelings…

No, no. She'd tell him everything was okay. Aerith was right…she really couldn't hold a grudge.

"Cloud?"

She found herself wondering in a weird sort of suspension of reality. Her lips were numb. Cloud's wide, shocked eyes. Her itchy hair falling across her face, strand by strand. Her eyelids closing again.

This time the darkness came quicker.

"TIFA!?"

She didn't even feel herself hit the ground.

'_I'm going to wake up right?'_

* * *

**A/N**: Hiii! I will admit I forgot about this ." Sorry to everyone who waited, I realize I made an empty promise. I shall do that no more but please R&R. I will try! But much like this chapter, if there are any further chapters, they may be rather "short" compared to the others. I hope this chapter was sort of good ^^


	12. The Smile

Disclaimer: The story is all mine and though I wish (quite frequently) that the FFVII characters were mine too, they're not… :P

If Only You Knew

**CHAPTER 12:** **The Smile**

There was a warm dusty smell. It was the smell of clean sheets and magnolia permeating in the air. The slightest tilt of her head brought on an aching sensation and she immediately forwent further movement. She didn't care to suffer another fainting spell after just regaining consciousness. Her anxiousness made her reluctant to even open her eyes. So lacking visual confirmation of where she was, Tifa strained her ears for any sounds.

Ah, there was something. Whispers? Voices somewhere, muffled and definitely trying to keep quiet. She heard the rustle of fabric beside her, accompanied by the clang on metal on metal, and she knew at once that her location was the infirmary. The magnolia should have been a dead giveaway; they were Shera's favorite, the fragrance serving a dual purpose in covering up the antiseptic odor the infirmary sometimes had. Tifa ventured to crack open her eyes to see who had moved the curtains, but no one was there. Meanwhile, the voices grew louder.

"As far as I can see, it looks like basic sleep deprivation, mixed with a little malnutrition. I take it she hasn't been eating much lately? Yes, I see. Studies are important, but I wish you kids would mind your health more..."

That had to be Shera.

"My phone's ringing, I'll be right back." There were the clicks of high-heeled shoes on the floor and then quiet.

Another person took this opportunity to speak. "What did you do to her?"

A lengthy pause held, and then there was a scuffle. Another voice interrupted.

"Hey Vincent, calm down okay? It's getting too loud, and he already said he didn't do anything."

"Zack, I'm going in to check in on her."

"Uh, yeah okay."

"Me too!"

Tifa shut her eyes once again. Aerith was coming, with Yuffie in tow. Remembering how antagonistic she had been before…she tried to slow her breathing. Maybe they would think she's asleep still? She could feel them now, just standing there. Involuntarily she held her breath. After about 10 seconds, Tifa could already feel her lungs begin to struggle.

'_Are they still there?' _

Then she heard Yuffie speak. "Uh, Aerith, she knows that…how do you say it…we know?"

Tifa exhaled sharply and made a face. She opened one eye and saw a cross Aerith.

"Well, I see you're well enough to be playing games, Tifa." Aerith murmured.

Tifa blinked. What? "No! I didn't, I-"

"Shh! Now you need to tell me Tifa, what's going on? This is the third time this month! I kept quiet about the first, even the second time because you told us it was just from studying. But this, Cloud told us you fell like dead weight out of nowhere! This can't just be nothing. Please, let Shera run some tests." Aerith drew a shuddering breath. Her voice had been anything but firm, but she refused to keep quiet. Tifa's condition worried her to no end, and she would not rest until they got some answers.

"Aerith, I know what you're thinking but you heard what Shera said, I just need to eat and sleep more. That's it."

"C'mon Tifa, what's the harm? Are you scared of needles?" Yuffie joked around, trying to lighten the mood.

Tifa appreciated the effort, but it didn't lessen the look in Aerith's eyes. "Terrified," Tifa sighed. "But fine, if you really want me to, I'll do it."

"Do what?" Aerith asked in a clipped voice.

Tifa sighed again. "I'll have some tests done ok, if that will make you see that I'm perfectly normal."

Aerith finally smiled. "That's wonderful. Now get some rest. We'll visit you later."

"Aw, but I wanted to talk more?" Yuffie pouted, fiddling with her fingers.

"Later Yuffie. I promised your mother that I would review your tea ceremony while you're here. I wouldn't want to displease the Empress of Japan." Aerith said, already pulling Yuffie away from Tifa's side, leaving as suddenly as they had come.

"Oh c'mon! Mom doesn't care! She knows I suck at that!" Yuffie's whining was one that became louder even as the distance between the girls and Tifa grew greater. "Of course I know where the _fukusa _goes! In the sleeves right? WAIT, no! I meant the obi! THE OBI! NOOOO!"

Tifa heard the doors shut behind them and then began to laugh. She was the one in the infirmary bed but it looked like Yuffie was in a somewhat worse position…

Anyways, she probably should follow Aerith's advice. She had to prove that she was fine, and maybe if everything went well, she'd be in tip-top shape without even having to take a test. So she slept until it was dark. It felt like ten hours but she didn't know what it was in reality. From where she was, she couldn't see a clock. That didn't hold her attention for long though. The only thing that mattered was that she now found herself entertaining more guests coming through the front doors.

"Cloud, since you're here, I might as well check on your arm. You mentioned new pains? Come in, come in. It'll just be a quick one and then you can stand outside in the hallway for as long as you want." Shera said on the other side of the curtains that surrounded Tifa's bed. "Honestly, I don't understand why you won't come in and just sit down in one of the chairs here and wait. I mean, I suppose as a professional, I'm not supposed to leave students of the opposite gender alone together in a dark room, but…oh don't give me that look. I didn't mean it that way. Why are you turning so red?"

"….Ms. Shera, please don't make jokes like that...I would never…" Cloud replied, his awkwardness easy to discern. Tifa had to bite down on her lower lip to stop herself from laughing.

"Yes, yes I know. You're a good person." Shera remarked, sitting down in her chair. "Please sit." She pulled a chair next to her and gestured towards it. Cloud complied and right away, Shera began to examine him. Cloud kept a blank face throughout the procedure, occasionally glancing at where Tifa was.

"She's okay right?" He asked. Shera didn't answer and instead let go of his arm.

"Of course. Do you hear ringing?"

"Uh, I think it's your phone again."

"Oh! Give me one second." Shera grabbed her phone from her desk drawer and answered. "Hello? Yes, I'm packing. I'll be there soon. Yes, I know it's fourteen hours by plane. Yes, I know that you're waiting for me, but really, I told you we should have left together. You're the one who escaped your office and left a note on my desk." Her tone was curt but then the other person on the line said something else and her face turned somber. "Yes, she's fine. She's resting right now. I checked and," she looked at Cloud, bowed her head, then excused herself into the hallway. Cloud sat for a while, but after Shera failed to return after ten minutes, he stood and went by the window. It was a clear night, the moon brightly hanging in the sky. He was too preoccupied to fully appreciate the sight though; he kept looking back to where she was.

_'She's fine, she's fine.' _He repeated to himself. But this was the second time this had happened and that was suspicious. That's why he had wholeheartedly agreed with Aerith when she had suggested the idea of convincing Tifa to do some tests.

"The sooner, the better…"

"Who are you talking to?" Tifa appeared from behind the curtains, looking paler than usual. Cloud had been leaning on the sill but quickly stood up and walked over to her, hands out as if ready to catch her. Tifa shook her head to say she didn't need help but simultaneously clutched the white curtains with one hand to steady herself.

"Tifa?!"

Cloud ran up to her regardless, already panicking. He grabbed her arm and then stopped, not sure what to do next. Where did one put his hands in this situation? When she had fainted hours ago in the rose garden, he had carried her in his arms without a second thought all the way back into the school, raced across the halls until he found Aerith who guided him to the infirmary. He'd laid her on the bed and hadn't so much as taken ten steps away from the infirmary door.

But that was different. She was conscious now...and glaring up at him with those eyes of hers.

"Cloud Strife. Did I not just tell you to stop it? I am fine." Tifa spoke, emphasizing the last three words with pokes into his chest. It wasn't really painful, but those spots…they felt heated after he let go of her arm and she stepped back. She stood up, back straight and confident, facing him with a deadpan look.

"So you were the one who brought me back here."

Cloud nodded, matching her gaze head-on. "I wasn't just going to leave you there, what kind of friend would I be if-"

"You know, I never said I forgave you."

Cloud's eyes widened. That was true. He had cornered her in the garden and talked his ass off, but she had fainted before he could hear her response to his apology. The word _friend_ had brashly come out of his mouth and her words reminded him how he had acted everything but that before.

"I didn't mean to…use that, I…" He dropped his eyes. "Tifa…I'm sorry."

* * *

**Two weeks later…**

"Shouldn't you be in bed or something?" Zack spun the soccer ball on his finger, perfectly balanced, effortless. He stood over the two girls, blocking their sun with his figure. His usual smile was replaced with a crabbiness that had infiltrated all his social interactions with others. He had even heard one of his classmates warn the others to not bother him today.

'_It's for their own safety.'_ Vincent had told him minutes after, a half-hearted attempt at a joke. Vincent then had proceeded to kick the chair leg of one classmate, hard enough that the student had fallen to the side. Who was the danger again?

"For the fifty-second time today…"

"_I'M FINE!_" Yuffie screamed at the top of her lungs, arms flailing around her as she sucked in more air to laugh. She jumped about them, an unending source of energy. Tifa laughed as well at the imitation, sitting up atop the grass.

"Come on, I don't say it like that."

Zack ignored both Yuffie and her quip. "I'm just saying-"

Tifa chucked a pinecone at his face and Zack dropped the soccer ball, catching the pinecone before it made contact. He stopped the ball from rolling away and threw the pinecone off to the side. "Funny."

"And I'm just saying that I took the tests and they said I was fine! I don't want to hear any more crap from you about taking care of myself. I don't need two Aeriths, especially one as noisy as you!" Tifa argued, fixing her bangs back into place.

"I'd be the fun one right?" Aerith chimed in, returning from her water run. She tossed a bottle to Yuffie and passed hers to Tifa who gratefully took it out of her hands.

"You wish…Hey, where's my drink? I'm the one who's playing on the field here." Zack pointed out, gesturing to the full white soccer jersey and shorts he was wearing with the school's insignia boldly across the front.

"You played two minutes and then got Vincent to substitute for you. He's still out there." Aerith grumbled, looking out into the field. The four of them shaded their eyes against the blazing sun and turned their attention to the cheers and shouts coming from the soccer field meters below them. It was easy to spot Vincent, the poor alabaster-skinned and long-haired friend whose top physical condition had won him a golden target on his back once one of the soccer players had fallen ill right before an important match…and also once Zack had snuck away after kicking the ball a few times.

"FOR THE GLORY OF ST. MICHAEL, VINCENT!" Zack called out after catching Vincent's attention during the opposing team's substitution.

"YEAH! GO VIVI! SCORE A GOAL!" Yuffie joined in, relishing her proclaimed mortal enemy's discomfort.

That was the first time either of them had seen Vincent give the finger. Even Aerith laughed and leapt to her feet to join in and cheer as the game resumed. Zack and Yuffie merely stood there dumbfounded, their hands still cupped around their mouths.

"You're just making it worse for him..." A monotone voice said, coming from the left side, behind Tifa who was still sitting down. Something cold touched her face and she quickly swerved to her right. It was a...fudge popsicle? Tifa followed the hand that offered it and looked up thoughtfully,

"Why don't you go and help him out then? Your arm's all better now with that cast off." She said cheekily, grabbing the popsicle and taking off the wrapper. "I'm sure he'll appreciate taking a break. It's already been forty straight minutes."

"….I'm not good at sports."

"How did you know I liked fudge popsicles?" Tifa tilted her head curiously, already changing the subject.

"I ran into Aerith on the way here. She told me."

"Oh. She did huh? That's great. Did you talk to her normally?"

"Yes."

"What's with that 'yes'? How am I supposed to work with you on our little project if you don't tell me the details?" Tifa stuck out her tongue, looking straight ahead of her. After a moment, she spoke again. "You really like her don't you?"

"…No…"

Tifa looked over to the side and rolled her eyes. "You're turning red again." She muttered, finally standing up. Just before walking over to join the others, she looked behind. "…You're really bad at lying you know?"

Once her back was turned, a slow smile emerged. It was a little confused, a little disturbed at how one could become so aware of another…while still thinking of someone else?

Cloud just smiled, looking at the backs of his friends who were now too caught up in the game. He looked at Zack who was doing fist pumps in the air. At Yuffie whose childish cheerleader routine made her seem more endearing to the passerby. At Tifa who was cheering with all her might. At Aerith, his first crush.

"Tifa…I don't know if…"

* * *

_"...Please record message after the tone...BEEEEP!...Hey Lockhart! You'll be receivin' a text from s__ome fellow called Heidegger, that _fuckin' bastard who thought he could just disturb me on my vacation... Anyways, it's somethin' about another student registration or somethin'...President's son or whatever prissy little...What Shera? What'd you say?! Oh, Shera says it's called a fax, a fax! Expect a fax and take care of it for me ok?...Take care of yerself Tifa. We're gonna try everything we can. You just hold on...BEEP!" 

* * *

**A/N: Just to refresh memories, "St. Michael's Collegiate" is the school's name... haha even I forgot and had to look that up, so don't worry if you didn't get what Zack was shouting out to Vincent. Anyways, poor Vincent _" He probably wouldn't appreciate me forcing him to play soccer out in the sun... Oh well! ^_^ Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Reviews are most welcome hah! **


	13. The One She Hates

Disclaimer: The story is all mine and though I wish (quite frequently) that the FFVII characters were mine too, they're not… :P

If Only You Knew

**CHAPTER 13: The One She Hates**

"It's not funny, it really isn't Aerith." Cloud repeated, carrying the stack of papers in his hands carefully. It had taken them two hours just to them out by level of importance regarding Aerith's charity and there was no way he was going to drop them.

"Ha ha ha. Oh Cloud, your face when Yuffie was telling the others that you were a disgraced marquis who dealt in the black market and pined after your prince's wife…priceless!" Aerith clapped her hands together and started laughing all over again.

"I didn't realize you enjoyed that so much…" Cloud answered sarcastically.

Aerith sobered up for a second and patted Cloud on the arm affectionately. "Only you Cloud, only you…"

Cloud felt heat rise up his face and looked the other way as they walked on. They were to stop by one of the rare rows of lockers in school, where Aerith had to get just a few more pieces of paper before their work was complete and she could send off donations. Cloud sighed, thinking back on the moment a few minutes ago when the two of them had encountered Yuffie huddled in a corner with three random students with huge astonished eyes…

_"Yuffie-sama! What are you saying? I heard that he smashed the glass in all the windows in the West Wing!"_

_"Not even! I heard that he's the illegitimate foreign child of a huge conglomerate in Thailand!" _

_"No no! I'm telling you guys! He's a disgraced baron!"_

By the time the group noticed him, he must have looked quite dark. Aerith had already started laughing and one of the girls in the group who hadn't said anything looked completely terrified, taking all of the rumours to heart. It goes to say that the four of them had dispersed like dust in the wind, right before he got the chance to refute such lies.

"I swear that girl…"

"It's because you're so mysterious Cloud. We don't know much about your background, so Yuffie was just having fun with it. One question though."

"What is it?"

She came into his view, almost causing Cloud to drop the papers then and there. She puffed up her cheeks and placed a finger along the run of her jaw, coquettishly looking up at him.

_'Cute...' _He thought but verbally, what came out of his mouth was "Whoa! What?"

"You're not pining after someone's wife are you?"

Cloud actually groaned. If Aerith was this into teasing him, who knows how Zack or Tifa would react once they got wind of this? Where were those two anyways? He could account for Vincent who was resting still from the "nightmare" he claimed to have experienced yesterday on the soccer field. He had claimed to hate the sport and then locked himself up in his room to recover. Cloud didn't mind though. Actually, he and Vincent hadn't completely gotten rid of the awkwardness between them since Tifa's collapse that one day. Things were, least to say, a little tense still and Cloud had the feeling that only time would tell whether they could return back to their easiness.

* * *

_"…it's called a fax, a fax! Expect a fax and take care of it for me ok?...Take care of yerself Tifa. We're gonna try everything we can. You just hold on...BEEP!"_

Tifa ended the call and looked around. The school was near empty at this time, mainly because the weather recently was the perfect time to be outside. Assured of privacy, she entered a classroom and closed the door. The large manila envelope in her hands was carefully opened and its contents were spread across one of the desks. Six printed papers, two of which contained transcripts of the most exceptional grades and accolades, and another two, letters from esteemed professors currently located at one of the top institutes in the Italian Peninsula. Those hardly interested her however. St. Michael's Collegiate was the highest-ranked school in North America, a contender for one of the world's best; it was a given that whoever was admitted was the cream of the crop in his or her field. What did interest her however were the two sheets of paper left, those giving a general description and bio of the new student. From his picture, she thought that there would be yet another victim to fan girls. Like Cloud, this man had blond hair and blue eyes, although his hair was shorter and his eyes withheld an arrogance and mystery that she did not like. He was tall, fit, had a good bill of health, and no skeletons in the closet from the thorough investigative report. Another perfect student.

This information still did not matter though; it was not what she was searching for. She needed to confirm something else.

Yesterday, Tifa had frozen at the mention of the name Heidegger when she had listened to Cid's message the first time, wondered if she was mishearing things.

_"Gya haa haa! My name is Heidegger! Is that your daughter? She looks like a she'll be a real beaut! Anyways, I'll be overseeing your department's research for the time being. Make me proud! Gya haa haa!"_

That pig-headed manner of his, that crude horse-like laugh. To Tifa, that man's voice would be one of those that would forever haunt her. All because of his connections to…

"Shinra. Rufus Shinra. Occupation: Vice President of Shinra Electric Power Company."

She hated him already. Her hands crushed the sides of the paper she held, short nails digging into her skin. She didn't feel the pain as her heart throbbed and her pulse quickened. Instead, she noticed them trembling. Not just her hands, her entire being. All because of Shinra.

'**Shinra…'**

Tifa was so absorbed with what was in front of her, she didn't even notice the door opening.

"Wanna tell me why you're stuck inside this gloomy classroom?" Zack stepped in and shut the door behind him. Tifa's head jerked up and immediately her hands went to work, efficiently slipping the papers back into the envelope to hide them from Zack's eyes. He hadn't seen what she was looking at, right?

"I…I was just looking over a past assignment I just got back. It was dismal to say the least."

"So you got 99%?"

"Ha ha, funny. Let me know when your next show is."

"Sure. Next one's tonight at six," He stared at her, appearing as if he was making a decision. "Look, I don't want you to lie to me Tifa. I know you too well for that. Did you really think that you were the only one that Cid contacted?"

With those words, she realized that it had been foolish to hide the papers from him. He knew everything before he had even stepped into the room.

"I…" She averted her eyes.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. And you just got the files today?"

"Yes."

"I see...so you'll try terrorizing Rufus Shinra for something that he might not have been involved with?"

Tifa kept silent. In the forefront of her mind, the thought had never surfaced…but…this feeling of blind anger, it made her think he had hit home with that question.

"…So what?" She spoke softly. "He would have known, they all should have known..."

"Tifa, you know that's not right. No one could have known that-"

"Really Zack? **Really?! **You didn't know that something was wrong?!" Tifa snapped and threw the envelope against the wall with a weak slap.

"Tifa, I understand...you know I do." Zack, the jokester, was surprisingly serious. This kind of raw outburst from Tifa, it was something that he wished he wasn't accustomed to.

"Then why aren't you angry?! Why aren't you getting ready to beat him up the moment Rufus Shinra sets foot here?! Why didn't you **destroy Shinra**!" She was half-shrieking now and Zack, despite himself, thanked God that no one else could see her like this. It was…harrowing, this hysterical state, the wild fire in her eyes. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms, making comforting sounds as he pushed her face gently into his shoulder. He rubbed her back in a circular motion, knowing that it would help in calming her down.

"I hate them! I hate them! All of them!" She tried to hit him but failed miserably, her arms being pushed down to her sides by his. She was nearly reduced to tears at her weakness, but his embrace helped stave them off.

She wouldn't cry in front of him again, never again.

"Zack…why? Papa…"

"I know, I know." Zack said, burying his head in her hair, hoping she didn't realize how stiff he was, how taut his muscles were. Muscle memory was a strange thing. His body remembered holding her, exactly like this, so long ago.

Feelings. They were a strange thing too. They returned to him at times like these. For a second, he thought of Aerith. But then Tifa sniffed, clutching his shirt sleeves and he dismissed the flower girl from his mind. Tifa… he didn't want her to cry anymore. He held her more tightly as if to anchor himself to reason. If he didn't restrain himself for her…

_'I think I really would try to destroy Shinra if they had taken you too...'_ He thought resignedly.

* * *

"…!"

"What?" Cloud scanned the area but saw not a soul. That was weird. Was he just imagining things? But he swore, it sounded like Tifa. He chuckled. Was he perhaps suffering some sort of lame separation anxiety? He hoped it wasn't. He wasn't that dependent on Tifa to imagine her sounding that angry. He had approached Aerith on his own hadn't he? Helped her out with her charity business and organized important papers and such, making some progress in their friendship. She even told him her locker combination, trusting him enough to pick up a few more papers that she needed, which was what he was doing now. Finally, after a few weeks at school, Cloud finally learned his way around. Overly proud of himself, Cloud reached the locker and successfully opened it, extracting the correct papers which were exactly where Aerith said they would be. He had just snapped the lock shut when he heard something again.

"…I hate them! All of them!"

This time, the words were loud and clear, not just some grumblings in the distance. And he was sure that they were coming from the classroom on the other side…

* * *

He really hated himself for saying this. It seemed like the pair of them really couldn't stop saying those two words. It was those two words that so many people had told them before until he became sick, and words that he couldn't help but say to her, over and over again, like a mantra.

"Shhh…it's fine, it's fine. Tifa, it's ok. We have each other, it's going to be ok."

"Zack…" Tifa's voice brought to mind the image of a child, sniffling, in pain, abandoned. When she was like this, what wouldn't he do to protect her? He looked over to the envelope on the floor, his eyes narrowing.

What exactly was Rufus looking to gain from transferring to St. Michael's?

* * *

Cloud backed away from the door, eyes glued to the small window slit that allowed one to see into the classroom. The room's two occupants certainly hadn't noticed the shadow standing outside the room.

"Zack and…Tifa?"

His back hit the wall somewhere and at the same time, his stomach dropped.

_'Oh…'_

* * *

**A/N**: Heh...I just realized I really like ending chapters in cliffhangers...I'm such a nice person :D :D (Please don't hate me...=_=" )

Reviews = yay!


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